Pure Evil: Nightfall
by Moodycat2
Summary: (sequel to Pure Evil: Dusk) Firestar has fallen, leaving the Clans - and Tigerstar - in peace. A new prophecy is brewing in StarClan. Meanwhile, Leafpaw has taken a dark turn. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, after their journey, begin to realize that things are not as simple as they seem. Hawkfrost is good. Leafpool is evil. And Brambleclaw must save his Clan before he loses himself.
1. Prologue

**Hello all! The sequel to Dusk is here, and if you haven't read it first I highly suggest you do so unless you want to be terribly confused. More info is at the end of the chapter, including a refresh on what happened in Dusk! :D**

A crisp crescent moon glowed above the dark treetops, casting an eerie light among the forest. A tortoiseshell she-cat slipped out from the undergrowth delicately, whiskers quivering in anticipation. A reddish tom followed her, glancing at her uncertainly as they padding into a wide clearing that emptied into a lake. The she-cat's breath caught in her throat.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she whispered, nudging the tom with her shoulder. The russet tom looked uncertain as he glanced at the silver waters.

"Are we sure about this?" he murmured, glancing up at the sky. Then he looked at her, and concern flooded his eyes. "Is this really what's going to happen to them?"  
"Do you dare question our knowledge?" another, rougher voice cut in. The tom and she-cat turned to see another pair of cats advancing towards them. These cats walked more slowly; one was a dark gray she-cat that looked old and burly - though her amber eyes shone with youth - and a black tom followed, limping on a twisted paw. The tortoiseshell dipped her head at the broad, dark she-cat.

"Of course not, Yellowfang," she replied evenly. "You and I should know it better than anyone." Yellowfang snorted and plopped down by the lake beside the other she-cat, glaring at the waters coldly. The crippled black tom sat beside her, draping his tail over her back comfortingly.

 _Was Yellowfang always like this?_ The tortoiseshell wondered. _Old and cranky?_ She stared at the old medicine cat, narrowing her eyes at the somber figure.

"Deadfoot," the red tom announced, looking over at the other tom seriously. "We must choose now, before they wake. Would you like to begin?"  
Deadfoot nodded and rose to his paws, shifting his weight to balance his odd paw. Then he touched the lake's waters delicately, and through the surface, the image of a young, dark gray tom, curled in sleep appeared. His flanked heaved up and down gently in undisturbed sleep.

"Crowpaw," he murmured. "I want to choose him." The tortoiseshell nodded.

"Your son," she commented. Deadfoot nodded sharply, raising his chin.

"I want to go next," Yellowfang grunted, pushing herself to her paws. Then she touched the water herself, and Crowpaw's image disappeared. He was replaced by a sleeker, larger cat. This one the she-cat recognized. She looked up at Yellowfang quizzically.

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully.  
"I'm positive," Yellowfang snapped, though there was truth behind her sharp tone. "She's proven herself over and over. She's a ShadowClan cat at heart."  
"And beside, it doesn't matter what Clan they're from," the red tom added rather quickly, not moving his gaze from the sleeping she-cat in the water. "They're all going to have to take this burden together."  
The other cats let his words sink in before nodding thoughtfully.

"Okay," Yellowfang rasped. "Tawnypelt it is."

"Oakheart," Deadfoot meowed softly, nosing to the large red tom. "Would you like to go?"  
Oakheart swallowed before stepping forward and dabbing his paw into the water lightly without a word. Tawnypelt faded from view and was replaced by a large tom in a den lined with smooth stones and shells. The tom rolled over uncomfortably, revealing a white belly in contrast to his dark tabby fur.

"I would like to choose Hawkpaw," Oakheart said in a low voice, like he regretted it as soon as the words escaped his mouth. Deadfoot looked at him curiously.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You don't sound confident in your choice."  
Oakheart shook his head. "I'm not. I wanted to choose Feathertail - I told Silverstream I would. I want _both_ of them. But Feathertail…" he glanced at the tortoiseshell doubtfully before sighing deeply. "...She's not RiverClan."  
"You're out of luck," Yellowfang said quite rudely. "She's a ThunderClan cat, like Tawnypelt is of ShadowClan. Your only chance of Feathertail going on that journey is if Spottedleaf chooses her."  
Oakheart looked up at Spottedleaf imploring, eyes wide. The tortoiseshell she-cat stepped back as all eyes turned to her and shook her head sadly.

"Oakheart, I'm sorry," she whispered. "Feathertail is a great cat, and StarClan would be honored to have her on this journey. But I have already chosen who I'd like to represent ThunderClan. I'm sorry," she repeated quietly, stepping back. Oakheart's eyes softened, and he stepped away from her.

"You all agreed with me before." he faced the other cats angrily, tail lashing. "It doesn't matter what Clan they're from; they take this journey together. And who says we have to have exactly four cats, huh?"

"Oakheart," Yellowfang said gruffly, yet with a sense of wisdom edging into her voice. "The four of us are all new to StarClan in the great scheme of things - even you. We were given a mission. I wouldn't push the limit."  
"Well, I'm going to," he said, jutting out his chin and sitting down in some sort of rebellion. "Silverstream is counting on me, and I helped raise that cat."

"This isn't about what Silverstream thinks!" Yellowfang snarled, leaping to her paws and shoving her flat face at the RiverClan deputy. "This is about the future of the Clans!"

"With all due respect, Yellowfang," Deadfoot added quietly. "I don't think one cat going on a journey is going to destroy the Clans anymore than they're going to be destroyed already."  
Yellowfang turned and glared at him for a long moment before a growl rumbled in her throat. "Fine," she spat.

"Thank you," Oakheart meowed simply, flicking an ear at the old ShadowClan medicine cat. He turned to the tortoiseshell she-cat and nodded brusquely. "Spottedleaf?"

Spottedleaf - the final cat - took in a deep breath and stepped forward, swishing her paw over the surface of the water. Hawkpaw's sleeping body dissipated, and was replaced by the final cat. Yellowfang and Oakheart's hackles settled as they glanced at the water in mesmerizing. Deadfoot purred.

"An excellent choice," he meowed approvingly. Yellowfang nodded wistfully.

"Him," Spottedleaf said, eyes dazzling in her reflection on the water and the sleeping cat below the surface. "I choose him."

At the same moment, in the heart of ThunderClan's warrior den, Brambleclaw jerked awake.

* * *

 **Yay! The sequel is here! This was just the prologue, so my apologizes about the short length. A couple things:**

 **1\. Perhaps the most important, I will not be able to update on a schedule or regular basis. I'm lucky to have free time nowadays, and fan fictions aren't my top priority! :p I will really try to update when I can, though.**

 **2\. Regarding the characters, I will upfront say that Tigerstar will act very differently in story vs Dusk. Not only was _Dusk_ from his POV, but what happened with canon Firestar after he became leader was he became a duller, more perfect character. So Tigerstar will be more flawed in this story. Just a heads-up. :) **

**3\. Also with the characters, here is a list of what has changed from the original series so far (in case you didn't read Dusk and just don't want to but want to read this for some reason):**

 **\- Tigerstar is good, and he is ThunderClan's leader**

 **\- Firestar is evil. He was ShadowClan's former leader**

 **\- Ravenflight(Ravenpaw) was evil and tried to kill Sorrelkit and successfully killed Goldenflower. He died in battle.**

 **\- Darkstripe and Longtail were both good. Both lived and are close friends of Tigerstar.**

 **\- Brokenstar wasn't strictly evil like he was originally, but he was flat-out crazy. He died in Darkstripe's act of defense**

 **\- Graystripe was originally a Firestar supporter, but eventually saw through him (much like the real Longtail)**

 **\- Deaths that were different: Redtail (crushed by rocks), Lionheart (killed by Blackfoot/star), Brindleface and Thornpaw (slain in battle),** **Bluestar (killed by Fireheart/star), Goldenflower (killed as bait for dogs by ravenpaw/flight), Stormpaw (Stormfur; killed by Firestar), Graypool (killed by Firestar), Spottedleaf (killed by dogs + drowning), Brokenstar (killed by Darkstripe), Ravenflight (killed by Ashfur, Ferncloud, Brambleclaw and Feathertail), and Firestar (killed in battle).**

 **\- Cats that lived that didn't make in in canon: Snowfoot (** **Snowkit), Mistlewing (Mistlepaw; Snowkit's sister), Darkstripe, Swiftclaw (Swiftpaw), Whitestorm, and of course Tigerstar.**

 **Woo I think that's it! A lot of stuff and I doubt I got all of the deaths but that's an overview. Thanks for reading, and commenting, whether it be constructive criticism or love, is always welcome. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Scarlet Vow: ah, thank you!**

 **Goldskies5: I hope so!**

 **petitprincess: I can say with pride that all your questions will be answered in the story! Except Leopardstar being pregnant, that's for sure not my story. :p Also, I guess I didn't make it clear: Feathertail is getting the dream, whether Yellowfang likes it or not.**

 **WyldClaw: glad to hear it!**  
 **Walkswithwheels: ugh, you got me… i had no idea there was a "special ceremony". Serves me right for not rereading the series. Brambleclaw is still chosen because the cats on the journey are staying the same, minus Feathertail and Stormfur (because Stormfur is obviously dead and Feathertail couldn't fully represent RiverClan)Also, I have not forgotten about Snowfoot! He will be semi-important in this story, but since there has not been a deaf cat in Warriors, I might handle him differently then some people might think? Idk, we'll see what happens to him. I think if I make it work he'll be a pretty well-liked character. :D**

 **Ludokitree: YES IT ISDKHSD**

 **Seeker3: yesss! Parties!**  
 **Spottedheart: cookie accepted. :3**

* * *

The brown tabby lowered his head as the mouse nibbled on a nut not far off. His tail swished low to the ground, and with low, controlled breaths, he inched closer. The scent of another cat was lurking somewhere behind him, but he ignored it as he crept closer to his would-be meal.

His claws slowly unsheathed and his eyes narrowed to slits as he stopped dead in front of the oblivious critter. He bunched his muscles to jump, when suddenly, a pelt brushed by his and flung at the mouse. The brown tabby let out a mrow of surprise as he relaxed his muscles and shot up. The new cat rolled over past him, mouse in its claws, before delivering the killing bite.

"Hey!" the brown tom exclaimed crossly. "That was mine!"  
As the stranger rose to their paws, the tom got a better look at them. It was a she-cat, but one that he had never seen before in ThunderClan territory. Her fur was sleek and black and orange, and she had a slim and narrow figure. Her eyes shone in amusement as she reached down and delicately grabbed the dead mouse with her teeth.

"What difference would it have made to you?" she commented lightly, sliding onto all fours and nibbling at the mouse carelessly. The dark brown tabby flicked an ear in protest.

" _I_ would have saved it for my Clan," he growled, nosing at the half-eaten morsel between the she-cat's paws. Her eyes rounded in surprise before she began to laugh lightly, like she had just remembered something.

"No, not that!" she replied. "If you had caught it, it would have made no difference whatsoever. You're dreaming, Brambleclaw."

As she spoke, her fur grew alight with stars, and her eyes shone a brilliant bright amber. The forest around them began to glow and hummed with the quiet chattering of birds.  
"I… oh," the Brambleclaw muttered, licking his rumpled chest fur in his head jerked up as he processed her words, and his eyes rounded. "You're a StarClan cat!" he realized aloud. The she-cat laughed, thought it came out as a snort.

"Took you long enough," she retorted. Then she looked at him for a long time, tipping her head to the side. "I'm Spottedleaf."

Brambleclaw's chin raised in realization. "Cinderpelt's predecessor," he realized aloud. He dipped his head, and paused for a long moment. "You and my father were friends, weren't you?"  
Spottedleaf smiled warmly at him. She was so close that Brambleclaw could nearly feel her whiskers on his muzzle. To his surprise, no breath came from her nostrils. "We were… quite close," she admitted softly. "But I've summoned you here for a reason, Brambleclaw," she revealed, stepping away from him suddenly.

Brambleclaw's ears perked, and his chin raised in prominence. "Do I have to pass on a message to Tigerstar?" he asked warily, leaning in and quivering with excitement. Spottedleaf shook her head solemnly.

"It's the opposite, actually," she explained. Then her voice grew hard, and her amber eyes faded to gems. "Whatever I tell you, you mustn't tell anyone else."

Before Brambleclaw could object, Spottedleaf's eyes began to glow and illuminate the clearing around them as she spoke. But this time, her voice was surrounded by millions, so many that Brambleclaw almost recognized some of them.

"Darkness, Air, Water and Sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before," she bellowed, so loud that Brambleclaw's ears began to ring and echo. He dropped into a crouch with his ears flat, looking up at Spottedleaf's shimmering body fearfully.

"Spottedleaf!" he cried. "I don't understand!"

The medicine cat looked down at him, expressionless. "Go where midnight tells you," she meowed. "Then you will understand."  
Brambleclaw opened his mouth once more, but before he could, the bright light dissipated and threw him into a blanket of darkness. He was aware of his own heavy breathing and sweat drenched body before his eyes adjusted, and he heard faint groaning.

"Come on, Brambleclaw," mumbled Graystripe's voice. The gray tom was stretched out beside him, and the dawn light trickling into the den drew out the long dark stripe down his back. "What were you chasing in your dream, monsters? Because I felt it when you kicked me in the rib."

Brambleclaw felt a sudden wave of embarrassment as cats began to lethargically rose to their paws as Whitestorm, the deputy, began to call patrols together.

"Sorry Graystripe," he mumbled. "Restless night."  
"For all of us," Mousefur retorted. She shoved Longtail, who slept beside her, playfully. "This cat was acting like he'd just been blinded!"  
"I was chasing rabbits!" Longtail argued, bristling. Mousefur purred drily.

"Perhaps the rabbits blinded you," she mused, arching her back in a stretch. Brambleclaw forced a purr as Longtail sneered jokingly at her.

"What _was_ your dream about, Brambleclaw?"

Brambleclaw turned around to see the sprawled-out shape of Feathertail, beside her father's now empty nest. Through her body language suggested she was just as tired as the rest of the Clan, her eyes seemed wide and keen in interest.

"Oh," said Brambleclaw, shrugging nonchalantly. "Just mouse hunting. It was weird."  
Feathertail's eyes rounded suddenly. "Me too," she replied, tipping her head slightly to the side.

"Well, maybe we just have similar dreams," Brambleclaw meowed, suddenly just as curious as the silver she-cat. Feathertail slid to her paws, staring at him with her chin jutted out. _You mustn't tell anyone!_ Spotted leaf's voice repeated in his mind.

"How similar?" Feathertail pressed, leaning in close to Brambleclaw. Her eyes were narrowed, and with a start, Brambleclaw realized that they were the only cats left in the den.

"Well, there-"  
"BRAMBLECLAW!"  
Brambleclaw jerked away from Feathertail instantly at the screeching voice. His ears flattened, and he groaned. Feathertail giggled and nosed outside the den.

"We can talk later," she promised, though that was the last thing on Brambleclaw's mind. "Your apprentice needs you now."  
 _Can't she be somebody else's apprentice?_ Brambleclaw thought sourly as he ducked out of the den. The dark ginger fur of Squirrelpaw was blurring back and forth outside, until she scrambled to a halt in front of her mentor.

"You're awake!" she gasped, eyes rounded, as if she hadn't just screamed at him. "Finally! Come on, the sun's been up for hours!"  
"It has not," Brambleclaw growled, lashing his tail. Squirrelpaw sneered. Feathertail brushed past Brambleclaw from behind him, eying the ginger apprentice worriedly. Her clear blue gaze stared straight into Brambleclaw's with a look of doubt, and Brambleclaw inwardly sighed. _I can't control my own apprentice!_

Brambleclaw swished his tail to indicate that they were leaving camp, and he forced his fur flat as Squirrelpaw made it obvious that she was rolling her eyes. He had no idea what her issue was. Perhaps it was because when her father passed away, Sandstorm, her mother, had doted on her to make her feel more… _welcome_. As much as Brambleclaw wasn't fond of Squirrelpaw, he wasn't sure if she'd ever truly be at home. He glanced over to see Dappletail and Speckletail sharing tongues outside the elder's den, glaring at Squirrelpaw.

"No apprentices in _my_ day would treat their mentor like that," Dappletail muttered darkly as Brambleclaw passed. Speckletail flicked her friend's ear with her tail but grumbled in agreement.

"Hush, Dappletail," she whispered as Squirrelpaw flounced past. "It's not her fault."

"Because she wasn't _born_ -"  
"Dappletail!" Speckletail hissed, shoving the old queen with her shoulder. Brambleclaw walked faster, exiting camp as quick as he could. The things with Squirrelpaw was that everyone knew her father was Firestar, a kittypet that had tormented all four Clans for moons.

The thing was, Squirrelpaw didn't know that.

Brambleclaw looked back at Squirrelpaw the minute they entered the sandy hollow. He wondered if she had heard the gossipping elders, and a spark of panic flared in his belly as he saw her head was down, looking back at the camp entrance strangely.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly. Squirrelpaw's head snapped back to him, and in a heartbeat, Dappletail's words were forgotten.

"Of course I am," she retorted. The pain in her eyes was glistening slightly, but her raised chin and defiant pose pushed it away. Brambleclaw otok in a deep breath, sat down, and began to ramble about mice, since that was on his mind from the dream.

 _The dream!  
_ Brambleclaw had nearly forgotten. His head whirled and the words coming out of his mouth became pointless as he tried to once again wrap his mind around what Spottedleaf had told him. _Go where midnight tells you,_ he reminded himself. _Midnight. That's easy enough. But where do I go at midnight?_

Finally his rambling came to an end. He stared at Squirrelpaw intently to see her eyes half-closed, and immediately he felt a flicker of impatience.

"Are you paying attention?" Brambleclaw asked.

Squirrelpaw sniffed as Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes.

"I've only heard this a million times," the young ginger apprentice scoffed.

"And I've only listened to you complain a million times," Brambleclaw retorted. As soon as he let the thought escape, he regretted it. Squirrelpaw bristled.

"I only complain because you're such a mouse-brain," he shot back, tail lashing. She crouched, looking ready to leap up and attack her mentor at any given moment. "This is what, the third time you've taught me the tactics for hunting mouse the past quarter-moon?"

Brambleclaw felt suddenly flustered. _Did I actually?_

"That's because you have a hard time listening, like I said before," Brambleclaw finally managed. "Now show me a crouch for hunting mice if you're so keen."  
Squirrelpaw, for once, did as told, but in an _I'll show you_ way. Brambleclaw circled around her, trying to find any flaw. To his surprise, she actually held up very well.

 _But no one's perfect._ Brambleclaw smiled to himself. As he reached her flank, he gently nudged her. Squirrelpaw opened her mouth to protest but wobbled and toppled over.

"Hey!" she cried, scrambling to her paws. Brambleclaw shrugged.

"Gotta stay balanced," he replied. Squirrelpaw rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Didn't Tigerstar-"  
She broke off as the ferns rustled and Cinderpelt pushed through, Leafpaw at her tail and trying desperately to hide behind the medicine cat. Brambleclaw leaned forward; he had actually never seen the kit. During her ceremony, he had to keep an eye on Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw didn't enjoy company.

Leafpaw was the exact oppostie of Squirrelpaw: quiet, not confident, and shy. At her ceremony, she stood in the shadow of her sister. And she too had no idea who her father was. Brambleclaw realized just how intimidating he looked to the already anxious Leafpaw as he leaned towards her, and he shield back.

"What are you doing here?" he politely addressed Cinderpelt. The gray she-cat made her way over to him and plopped down.

"We have to tell them, remember?" she murmured so that the apprentices didn't overhear. Thankfully, Squirrelpaw had darted over to Leafpaw and had begun a mock fight, Leafpaw joining reluctantly.

"I nearly forgot," Brambleclaw admitted. The sunrise before, Tigerstar and a reluctant Sandstorm had told Cinderpelt and Brambleclaw to tell the kits the story of their father. _Before Darkstripe does,_ Brambleclaw added mentally. The tom had strong loyalty to his Clan, but his hatred towards Firestar was even stronger. And knowing Darkstripe, he would make the story even worse than it already was. It was Brambleclaw and Cinderpelt's job to sugarcoat it.

"Squirrelpaw, Leafpaw, there's something Brambleclaw and I are in charge of telling you," Cinderpelt announced, raising her voice so that the wrestlign apprentices could hear. Squirrelpaw scrambled to her paws, wide-eyed at Cinderpelt. Leafpaw followed slowly, eyes huge ike she was going to get into trouble.

"Now, as your mentors, Brambleclaw and I love you very much," the medicine cat went on. Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw exchanged a sour look as Cinderpelt spoke, but Cinderpelt either didn't see it or chose to ignore it. "But there's something you need to know about who you are and where you came from."

For the first time, Squirrelpaw looked uncomfortable. Leafpaw shifted her paws worriedly.

"Let me ask you both this: what do you know about your father?" Brambleclaw asked, nodding at Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw. "What did Sandstorm tell you?"

"She said I got my fur from him," Squirrelpaw piped up, "and that he was very brave, and died in battle."  
"Mama said he was a leader, too," Leafpaw said, nudging Squirrelpaw. The ginger she-cat nodded vigorously.

Brambleclaw looked at Cinderpelt. "Well, Sandstorm isn't lying to them," he muttered. Cinderpelt let out a puff of relief.

"All those things are true," she confirmed gently. "But you must also understand that your father was not a good cat."  
Squirrelpaw's expression fell from excitement to shock to frustration. "What's that mean?" she insisted. Brambleclaw sighed deeply.

"His name was Firestar," he began solemnly. "At first, he was a kittypet-"  
Squirrelpaw exploded. "A kittypet!" she scoffed. "Me? No way!"

Even Leafpaw looked a little angry. "You lied to me!" she growled at Cinderpelt, looking betrayed.

"No dear," Cinderpelt whispered. "No one has _lied_ to you. It's just that no one has told the whole truth."  
Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw went silent. Brambleclaw continued.

"He joined ThunderClan when he was still young. But then ShadowClan wanted him, saying that he was part of their prophecy. Eventually, Firestar - Fire _heart_ \- became obsessed with the idea of being part of a prophecy."

"He worked with ShadowClan's leader, Brokenstar, behind Bluestar's back. She was leader before Tigerstar," Cinderpelt explained. "Anyway, his wrongdoings killed many cats. He killed Bluestar before he was exiled."

Squirrelpaw gasped. "My father would never do those things!" she insisted, though her words came out weak.

"After that, he became leader of ShadowClan, but he wasn't done," Brambleclaw went on coldly. "He tried to merge all the Clans and force them to join 'FireClan' under his rule. When ThunderClan didn't join, he sent a pack of dogs to ravage our territory. I don't know if you've seen Cloudtail lately, but he's a result of those dogs."

"When RiverClan also refused to join, he killed two of their cats and injured another. He started a battle between all four Clans, and he died as a result of that," Cinderpelt finished quietly.

Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw stared at her in silence. Squirrelpaw's mouth was open, but for once, no words came out.

"I'll let you be with those thoughts," the gray medicine cat meowed softly, gazing at Brambleclaw with pity. "But just remember that Firestar does not define who _you_ are." Then she swished her tail and hobbled towards camp. Leafpaw gave a bemoaning look at Squirrelpaw before turning and following her mentor reluctantly,

"That's why they tell me those things," Squirrelpaw whispered, staring straight past Brambleclaw. The brown tabby leaned towards her, ears pricked.

"What?"  
Squirrelpaw's glare fixed on him, suddenly hardened. "Do you think I'm stupid?" she snarled. "I know what they say about me. The elders give me crap about my attitude and how I don't belong here. I was okay with it, Brambleclaw! I really was! But that's because I thought it was _me_."  
Brambleclaw leered back, frozen in place. "What does that mean?"  
Squirrelpaw's ears flattened desperately. "I thought that when cats looked at me and scoffed it was because I was just different because of my personality or whatever. It didn't bother me at all. But now…" she trailed off, and frustration surged in her voice. "I'm treated different because my father was a manic."  
"It's not your fault," Brambleclaw promised. Squirrelpaw looked up at him angrily.

"You don't know how it feels!" she growled. "ThunderClan has treated me like a freak and I haven't even noticed! Well, that's not going to happen anymore."  
Then she took off and fled without the slightest glance backwards. Brambleclaw sighed deeply and slumped over.

 _I guess we're done, then._

 **Not a lot of plot there but okay. Also, if you haven't noticed any personality changes yet, fear not! The next chapter will be more interesting, promise. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**For future reference and shorter replies, I'm going to refer to the original series (where Firestar is good and whatnot) as OS and my fanfiction(s) as Dusk and Nightfall from here on out :). Just to clear up future confusion!**

 **Goldskies5: I agree! And yes, a Longtail shoutout because Firestar's Quest didn't happen!**

 **Petitprincess: well… Tigerstar will be… something. Most certainly he won't be like Firestar, but he won't be as much of a glaring protagonist as he was in Dusk but like I said before, it's mainly because he's no longer narrating and there will be a few plot points that involve him… I don't want to give it away though :) Longtail def didn't deserve to be blinded, but one thing I noticed while making the allegiances was that I didn't kill as many cats as the Erins did in the OS, so ThunderClan is a tad bit bigger. They stopped killing and disabling characters at the beginning of series 3, which made ThunderClan HUGE.**

 **WyldClaw: Thanks!**  
 **Walkswithwheels: We'll see about Hawkfrost and Mothwing later in the story, for now they're just supporting characters. Brambleclaw was more of a mentor to her than Dustpelt was tbh, also it gives her more of an excuse for the journey (which you probably expected was coming anyway). Crowfeather and Leafpool being together is kind of major, but later in the story. The only thing I can say about Leafpool and Firestar is that she'll have different intentions than he did. As for the rest, it will all be revealed throughout the story! Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Seeker3: I understand her though, y'know? Her character in canon + gossip about her = not happy. You're the second one to make an Avatar spot! I've never seen it myself but apparently Spottedleaf is a huge fan! i think it's hilarious tbh.**

 **Spottedheart: Squirrelpaw deserves all the cookies (when she's not being annoying)!**

 **Silly me forgot to post allegiances last chapter. Here they are as well as ch 2!**

 **ThunderClan** :

 **Leader:** Tigerstar: large brown tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Whitestorm: white tom with yellow eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Cinderpelt: dark gray she-cat

 _Apprentice: Leafpaw_

 **Warriors:**

Darkstripe: dark gray tom with black stripes

Longtail: pale tabby tom with black stripes

Mousefur: small dusky brown she-cat

Runningwind: light brown tabby tom

Brackenfur: golden brown tabby tom

Sandstorm: pale ginger she-cat

Graystripe: long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt: dark brown tabby tom

Cloudtail: long-haired white tom

Brambleclaw: dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

 _Apprentice: Squirrelpaw_

Ashfur: pale gray tom with darker flecks

Swiftclaw: black and white tom

 _Apprentice: Spiderpaw_

Snowfoot: white tom with blue eyes

Mistlewing: pale gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 _Apprentice: Whitepaw_

Brightheart: white she-cat with ginger patches

 _Apprentice: Shrewpaw_

Rainwhisker: dark gray tom with blue eyes

Sorreltail: tortoiseshell she-cat

 **Apprentices:**  
Squirrelpaw: dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Leafpaw: (medicine cat) light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Spiderpaw: long legged black tom with a brown underbelly

Shrewpaw: small, dark brown tom with amber eyes

Whitepaw: white she-cat with green eyes

 **Queens:**

Ferncloud: pale gray she-cat with darker flecks.

(kits: Larchkit, Hollykit, and Birchkit)

 **Elders:**

Dappletail: koroishell she-cat

Speckletail: pale tabby she-cat

Frostfur: beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

 **There are a lot of cats, but also in those moons Willowpelt and Sootpaw (Sootfur) both died as a result of badgers. I feel really bad about killing them off with no explanation, but the allegiances were getting kind of unbearably long. Sosososo sorry, please forgive. I promise most of them will get proper death scenes, I'll really try, but not everything can happen on camera! X(**

Night had fallen on Squirrelpaw's rage, leaving Brambleclaw with no apprentice to train (Cinderpelt insisted the young sisters take a day off with their new information). And that left him with his midnight dream.

Brambleclaw rolled over in his nest, unable to find sleep. His mind turned along with his body as he gazed outside at the nearly-full moon. His Clanmates snored around him, and usually, Brambleclaw would be grateful for the silence. But now his brain was whirling with Spottedleaf's words.

 _Go where midnight tells you._

Brambleclaw blinked slowly at the night sky. It was midnight now, if that's what that meant. But what was midnight supposed to tell him?  
Brambleclaw rose to his paws, carefully stepping over the sleeping bodies around him. He watched their steady breathing as he held in his breath, praying he wasn't going to step on someone's tail.

He exhaled in relief as he exited the den and emerged into fresh air. His mind groped for an excuse for being out, when it hit him: dirtplace. His stomach twisted as he gazed at Tigerstar's den, wondering what his father would do if he knew he was sneaking out. But Brambleclaw jutted out his jaw and stalked towards the entrance; he was a grown cat now, and surely, Tigerstar wasn't the boss of him like he always acted like he was.

Brambleclaw stifled a sigh as he squeezed past the dirtplace tunnel. He and Tigerstar had a complicated relationship. One moment his father was doting on him, proud to have his son leading a patrol or catching the largest prey. The next he was constantly on his back, whether it be being worried for him or angry at him for not keeping up with Squirrelpaw's training. Sure, Tigerstar had multiple excuses for being this way: Goldenflower, Brambleclaw's mother, was not there to raise him, really, and his sister Tawnypelt had left for ShadowClan. Perhaps Tigerstar was just being protective or constantly on edge after Firestar's torment, but a new era was upon the Clans. Brambleclaw was frankly a little sick of the older cats holding onto the fear that another cat would take over the other Clans so easily.

 _It was a mistake. And they should learn from their mistakes, not fear them._

Brambleclaw was still trapped in thought by the time he reached the forest. He was about to wonder where exact;y he was headed when a dark shape hirled down from a low branch and landed beside him. Brambleclaw leapt straight up, and much to his embarrassment, he landed with his fur spiked up and eyes wild.

"Where are you headed so late at night?" Brambleclaw forced his fur flat as he recognized Feathertail's voice. He stepped out of the shadow of the trees, and curiosity brimmed in ther brilliant blue eyes. Brambleclaw felt horror rush through his body and numb his paws.

"Uh, dirtplace!" he exclaimed, remembering his excuse. "I was going to dirtplace."  
Feathertail's whiskers twitched cheekily. "You took a bit of a wrong turn, then."  
Brambleclaw scoffed, though he realized she was right: dirtplace, as well as the rest of camp, was far behind them. "Say, what brings you here, then?" he pressed. "Surely you aren't lost as well?"  
Feathertail giggled, but it faded quickly. "Brambleclaw, you had a dream last night that you were obviously worked up about." She sucked in her breath and sat down. "I think we had the same dream."  
Brambleclaw felt the hair along his neck begin to bristle. "What was yours about?"

"You first," Feathertail argued stubbornly. "I swore I'd keep mine a secret."  
"A secret? Says who?"  
"Says Oakheart!"  
Brambleclaw leaned back. "Oakheart? The same cat that..." he trailed off, reaching for the memory. Then it hit him. He looked at Feathertail. "... died in a rockfall? You spoke to a StarClan cat?"

Feathertail stiffened. "You didn't?"

Brambleclaw exhaled in relief. "No, no, I did. Feathertail, we dreamed the same thing. Spottedleaf came to me and told me something about darkness, air sky, and water coming together."

"And to go where midnight tell you," Feathertail finished neatly, licking a paw and drawing it over her face. "That's why you're here now, right? Because it's midnight?"

"Well, yes," Brambleclaw said in slight embarrassment. "But I have no idea where to go."

Feathertail grinned. "I was actually headed somewhere. Care to join me, my prophecy friend?"

Then a rustle came from behind them. Brambleclaw stiffened, and Feathertail's eyes widened. Feathertail spun around just as something scurried up a tree. "Just a squirrel," she huffed in relief. She jerked her head to the side. "Let's get going."  
Brambleclaw smirked as she raised to her paws and began bounding ahead. "Where are we headed?" he hollered.

"Not so loud!" the silver she-cat replied from ahead. "We're going to Fourtrees!"  
Brambleclaw picked up his pace. _Fourtrees. Of course!_ Where else did the other Clans gather under StarClan in peace?  
"Hey!" he whispered as he pelted beside her. "Do you think other cats will be there?"  
"Like who?" Feathertail asked, only half paying attention. Brambleclaw shook his head.

"Like… from the other Clans," he muttered. "Surely we aren't the only ones to solve this riddle."  
"We'll have to wait and see," Feathertail replied ominously. She began to slow as they reached the clearing, where the four tall oaks towered above everything else.

Feathertail sucked in her breath, and Brambleclaw gazed up in amazement. Everytime he arrived here his breath was taken away, but when there was only a crescent moon and no other cat stirring, he found peace. Brambleclaw turned to Feathertail.

"So now what?" he asked. "I mean, we're here-"  
"I KNEW IT!"  
Brambleclaw felt his claws unsheathe. Feathertail leapt straight up into the air, and both cats whirled around, fangs bared. But instead of an attack, a ginger shape pushed through the underbrush and jumped to a stop in front of them, head high.

"Squirrelpaw!" Brambleclaw hissed. "What are you doing here?"  
Squirrelpaw's head raised confidently. "You and Feathertail, huh? I thought you two were being weird yesterday morning!"  
Brambleclaw flushed with embarrassment. Feathertail looked at him in horror and awkwardly stepped away, realizing what Squirrelpaw was thinking.

"Wait 'till Tigerstar finds out," Squirrelpaw rambled on. "Feathertail and Brambleclaw!"

"That's not.. We're not…" Brambleclaw insisted, narrowing his eyes. Feathertail cleared her throat.

"We're not here because of _that_ ," she meowed, jerking her head at Brambleclaw. "We're here because…"  
Squirrelpaw leaned towards her, emerald eyes huge. "Then why are you here?" she pressed quietly.

"I was wondering the same thing."

All three cats spun around as a new voice reached them. A she-cat emerged from the other side of the clearing, the moonlight turning her diluted fur silver. Brambleclaw's eyes rounded as he recognized her formal, curt tone.

"Tawnypelt," he breathed, taking a step towards his sister.

He had not talked to her since she left, as an apprentice. Sure, they said hi at Gatherings and made small talk, but that was always brief - Tigerstar had also wanted to speak with her, as well as her old ThunderClan friends, so he never really had time for discussion. They missed her, but she refused to leave ShadowClan for one reason: her mate, Rowanclaw. Brambleclaw still felt a wave of embarrassment every time he saw her, for he had attacked her in the FireClan and IceClan battle, half-intent to kill her. Luckily, he had been stopped and apologized, but every time he saw Tawnypelt, he could not help feeling bad.

"Tawnypelt. Why are you here?" Feathertail growled, stepping forward and keeping a few tail-lengths away from Tawnypelt. Her tone was icy; it was as if Tawnypelt and Feathertail were never friends in the first place. Tawnypelt narrowed her eyes.

"Why are _you_ here?" she asked. Glancing over Feathertail's shoulder, she added, "all three of you? Shouldn't an apprentice be asleep?"  
Just as Squirrelpaw began to get defensive and Brambleclaw scoured his mind for some sort of excuse, another cat bounded into the clearing, twisting past the great rock and scurrying to a stop in front of Feathertail and Tanwypelt. He was panting heavily, leaned over. Following him was another cat, this one smaller and wiry and frowning.

"Who are you?" the bigger cat asked, blue eyes rounding. Feathertail and Tawnypelt looked at each other, eyes wide. The tom jerked his head towards the other cat, not patient enough for an answer. "I'm Hawkpaw and this is Crowpaw. We met on the way over."  
At Crowpaw's mention, Squirrelpaw bristled. Crowpaw seemed to recognize her as well, and his back arched. Brambleclaw looked at his apprentice in bewilderment. "You two know each other?" he exclaimed.

"No," Crowpaw spat. "All I know about her is that she stole _my_ prey!"

"It was on my side of the border!" Squirrelpaw argued. "Get over it!"  
"It was not!" Crowpaw shot back. "I had it first!"

"Oh, so you're a _WindClan_ cat," Tawnypelt muttered.

"I'm from RiverClan," Hawkpaw piped up, not catching the annoyance in Tawnypelt's voice. Brambleclaw nodded at him.

"Nice to meet you," he said curtly. Hawkpaw exchanged it, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm Brambleclaw."  
"I'm Feathertail, if we're all just going to introduce ourselves," Feathertail added, licking one of her silver paws.

"Tawnypelt."  
Squirrelpaw was still glaring at Crowpaw. "Squirrelpaw."  
"Crowpaw," the dark gray tom muttered through clenched teeth.

"Hawkpaw. But hopefully that won't be my name in the next moon or so." Brambleclaw took this chance to look at the two other apprentices. Crowpaw was a classic looking WindClan cat: he was skinny, lithe, with dark gray fur and beady blue eyes. He had scowled since he had entered Fourtrees, and he had somewhat large ears.

Hawkpaw was a his polar opposite, not looking much like a RiverClan cat at all. He was large, and Brambleclaw had mistaken him for a warrior at first. He had thin dark stripes against his thick brown pelt, and clear blue eyes that stood out, as well as a white underbelly.

"So why are we all here?" Squirrelpaw growled, eying the other cats suspiciously. "Did you all agree to meet or something?"

"StarClan told me to come here at midnight," Hawkpaw pointed out helpfully.

"They said I'd meet them here, not other cats," Crowpaw added, glaring at the other cats sourly. Brambleclaw's mind clicked.

"We all had a dream about a StarClan cat who told us to go where midnight tells us," he realized aloud. To his relief, the other cats nodded, excluding Squirrelpaw.

"You guys talked to StarClan?" she gasped. Crowpaw opened his mouth for a retort, but Feathertail cut him off.

"We did. You just followed us here." then she looked back at the other cats, who had assembled into a circle. "But I have no idea what they want us to do."  
"Perhaps this isn't what we're meant to do," Brambleclaw suggested, shuffling his paws. "Don't you think StarClan would tell us if we're right or not?"

"I also had a dream about drowning in salty water," Tawnypelt offered. The other cats looked at each other, but no one seemed to reflect the ShadowClan's cat's dream. "I was in this weird place where the sun melted into the sky. I had it the other night. I don't think it meant anything, though."  
"It could have," Feathertail defended. She looked at the tortoiseshell with warmth in her eyes, and they looked almost like best friends again. "We don't know enough, now. Maybe StarClan isn't done yet."  
"We can meet at the next Gathering," Hawkpaw suggested. "That's only a few nights away. Maybe we'll have more information by then."  
The other cats nodded at the idea, even Crowpaw. They began to rise to their paws, and Brambleclaw nudged Squirrelpaw to signal it was time to leave.

"See you at the next Gathering!" the ginger apprentice hollered to the other cats. They looked at her curiously but were too tired to disagree.

"Squirrelpaw," Brambleclaw muttered stiffly. "You didn't dream of StarClan."

"Wha- now hold on just a minute!" she exclaimed. The other cats paused and flinched at her screechy voice. "You guys think you can just meet up and not let me in on this secret?"  
"You followed us," Brambleclaw pointed out. "Let's go. We still have to train in the morning."  
"No!" Squirrelpaw defied. Brambleclaw wanted to melt away as the other cats began to stare at him, mentally begging him to shut up his apprentice. "I want to be a part of this too!"

"Why?" Brambleclaw growled.

"One, because I'm nearly a warrior," she argued, as if that was a valid point. "Two, because… because I want to prove myself," she said, uncharacteristically softly. Brambleclaw relaxed his shoulders. "After what you told me about… about Firestar, it makes me feel like I have to prove myself to the Clan, you know?"

Brambleclaw sighed. It was an excuse, definitely, but she had a point. Tawnypelt turned around towards him. She spoke to Squirrelpaw, though her eyes were locked with Brambleclaw's.

"Let her take this journey in unlocking the mystery with us," she whispered. "Six heads are better than five, after all."  
"If one head is the daughter of Firestar, we might have issues," Crowpaw meowed flatly. Squirrelpaw switched her glare to him, but Brambleclaw stepped between the two of them.

"It's my choice whether or not she's in on it," he growled. He looked at the other cats, and surprisingly, they looked encouraging. He sighed deeply before giving a stern glare. "So long as she tells no one, she can stay."  
Squirrelpaw let out a hoot of excitement. The cats began to give tired fareweels before heading their own way, and Squirrelpaw took the lead back to camp.

"You didn't have to do that," Feathertail whispered, flanking Brambleclaw to make sure Squirrelpaw didn't overhear. "You could have sent her home. After all, you are her mentor."  
"I know," Brambleclaw sighed, gaze locked on the ginger pelt ahead. "But otherwise she'd tell Tigerstar, and then everyone would know. And... " he trailed off, watching her bob in and out of view as she pranced in excitement. "... she was right. She and Leafpaw need redemption. They are not their father."  
Faethertail paused to smirk at him. "Look at you, wise leader." she laughed and nudged him as they arrived at the border to camp. Squirrelpaw was long gone by then, and Brambleclaw prayed that she had not woken the entire camp. "I'm kidding. Let's go to sleep, shall we?"

* * *

Brambleclaw fell asleep almost the instant he hit his nest. He felt himself enter the darkness and relaxation of sleep, and he welcomed it.

Then a tangy taste hit his tongue. At first he couldn't recognize it, but then the taste slowly began to stream into his mouth and nose until he was suffocating. He was dreaming.

Brambleclaw moved his paws, forcing the strange salty water beneath him. His head bobbled above water for a heartbeat, allowing him to gasp for air for just a moment before he was plunged back underwater. He could barley make out the dusk sun, melting away into the river and seemingly drowning with him. Terror gripped him as the weight of the water pulled him down. _Help me!  
_ His silent shriek for help came true as he felt his back paws hit sand. The water drained quickly until Brambleclaw was standing alone, soaked and smelling of salt, in a dark forest. Then he saw two amber eyes staring at him manically with no body to attach to. He stood rigid, merely staring at the eyes, when they squinted. Laughter resounded from everywhere around Brambleclaw, but the eyes stayed the same, tilting and narrowing with the laugher until it was unbearably loud.

Suddenly a voice - tomcat - rung out. "Do you fear her, Brambleclaw?" it snarled.

Brambleclaw's chin raised. "Who are you? Who do I fear?" he whispered. His voice was raspy from the water.

The voice ignored him, and the eyes rounded in interest. "You have no need to fear her," he went on. "Soon enough, she will be just like you."

Brambleclaw opened his mouth, but he was forced mute. The amber eyes blinked but did not open again.

Brambleclaw jerked awake, still in the dead of night. He groped for the first dream, when he smacked his mouth together and caught the faint taste of salt. He remembered Tawnypelt's words suddenly.

 _The river of salt._

 _The place where the sun melts._

 _That's where we must go!_

 **Yay! Finally a chapter! Also, there's more to why Crowpaw doesn't like Squirrelpaw but that will be revealed later! If somebody does guess it (if you really think about it you'll see why) then I won't say but I'll congratulate you when it is revealed. :D anyway, happy Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate it!**


	4. Chapter 3

**walkswithwheels: all very good guesses!**  
 **WyldClaw: Me neither!**  
 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: happy thanksgiving to you too! And thank you for the lovely reviews!**

 **Spottedheart: We'll see about Crowpaw. :D Tigerstar's gonna be a little different this book... haha...**

 **Jen-jen: ah, the wonders of fanfiction**

 **Ludokitree: ah yes, I love Hawkpaw!**

**I totally did not rush this chapter. Definitely not.**

 **On the flip side, I heard there was a warriors movie they're making? I heard this a while ago but I always forgot to add it here, lol. What do you guys think? I'm personally really excited, I mean I honestly don't care if they mess it up (to an extent) because I've loved these silly cat books for a long time and always dreamed of a real movie :p**

"Now Leafpaw, do you remember what tansy looks like?"  
Leafpaw wracked her brain.

"Small and yellow?" she guessed softly. The mental image flashed in her brain, and she tried her best to describe it. "Multiple stem... things?"

To Leafpaw's relief, Cinderpelt purred. "And what is it used for?"  
"Coughs?"

Leafpaw winced at her completely random guess. Cinderpelt nodded thoughtfully as she trotted through the unusually tall and wispy grass with her apprentice at her heels. "Mostly," she corrected. "Sometimes it can be used to soothe throats and even cure wounds. It's a very important, multi-purposeful herb."

 _Tansy: multi-purpose,_ Leafpaw mentally noted. She nodded to make it seem like she understood to allow Cinderpelt to keep walking forward.

Leafpaw's life had not had the easiest past couple moons. Really, all of it had been difficult: in the nursery, Squirrelpaw took up most of Sandstorm's time, as well as most of the Clan's time with her constant chattering and curiosity. If Squirrelpaw was a social butterfly, Leafpaw was a moth: blending in and sticking strictly to one thing. And that one thing, Leafpaw found, was being a medicine cat.

When she had asked to become Cinderpelt's apprentice many moons ago, most of the Clan was shocked. She hadn't understood why until Brambleclaw and Cinderpelt had softly broken the news of her past, but until then, she noticed quite a few stares her way.

 _It's so unfair,_ Leafpaw thought bitterly. _Just because my father was evil doesn't mean Squirrelpaw and I will follow in his footsteps._

"Now, if I'm correct, there should be tansy up here," Cinderpelt murmured, leaning over as they reached one of the few open fields on ThunderClan territory. To Leafpaw's relief, the golden tansy heads were bobbing up and down in the gentle wind. Cinderpelt seemed pleased at this and headed for them, biting down at the bottom of the stalk and gathering a whole bundle in her jaws.

"Just like that!" she grunted. "Your turn."  
Just as Leafpaw bent down to mirror her mentor, she heard a shrill squeal from Cinderpelt. Leafpaw whirled around, fur on end, when she saw the gray she-cat drop the flowers and take a step back. Leafpaw had never seen Cinderpelt this afraid: the whites were visible in her dark blue eyes, her ears were laid back, her back was arched, and her fur was completely on end.

"What's wrong?" Leafpaw asked, scrambling up to Cinderpelt and trying to follow her eyes.

"Oh StarClan.. . Leafpaw!" she yowled. "Can you not see it?" Leafpaw followed her gaze and squinted hard. There was a gorse thicket, the faint smell of mice, and an old oak tree not far off. Nothing… scary.

"Cinderpelt?" Leafpaw asked, shrinking back. "What's wrong?"  
Suddenly Cinderpelt gasped and jumped back. And then, just like she had fluffed up, her stature went back to normal. She straightened her shoulders, and her eyes slitted to normal, but her breathing was still light.

"What happened?" Leafpaw repeated firmly, whirling so that she was in front of her mentor with a hard stare. Cinderpelt shook her head breathlessly.

"Fire… tiger… we have to get back to camp," she rasped, turning away. "Grab the tansy. I have to report this to Tigerstar."  
"Wait!" Leafpaw cried, reaching for the stalks on the ground. "What did you see?"  
Cinderpelt turned back to her, suddenly serious. "That was an omen, Leafpaw. I'm surprised you didn't see it."  
Leafpaw felt her shoulders slump, crestfallen. "They only sent the omen to _you_?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment. Cinderpelt shrugged, obviously wanting to hurry back to camp as if the whole forest depended on it.

"Yes. But that happens sometimes," she added. "You'll have your chance."  
Leafpaw hung her head and traversed towards camp, still feeling disappointment gnaw in her belly. _Does StarClan think I'm going to be like Firestar, too?_

* * *

"You saw what?"  
Tigerstar's voice echoed around his cave-den in wonder. Through the darkness of dusk, Leafpaw could only see his piercing amber eyes and the outline of his spiky fur.

"An omen, Tigerstar," Cinderpelt repeated confidently. "Just now, when Leafpaw and I were collecting herbs, StarClan sent me a vision of a gorse bush on fire. I thought it meant something about Firestar."  
Tigerstar's eyes slitted at the name, but when he saw Leafpaw shrink back, he forced his fur flat. "Are you sure?" he asked dubiously.

"Yes," Cinderpelt replied quickly. "I'm going to work and figure out what it means. Leafpaw, you are excused. Please go check on Frostfur and make sure her joints aren't still aching."

Leafpaw left wordlessly, with only a nod to her mentor and Tigerstar. The minute she exited the den, she exhaled in relief that she had not been put on the spot. After all, she didn't even get the omen.

"Well, Cinderpelt."  
Leafpaw nearly jumped at Tigerstar's voice. To her embarrassment, she realized that she could hear every word of what he was saying clearly, despite hre padding to the side of the den. She leaned in, suddenly curious.

"If that's all, then you'd best be on your way," the leader went on in a rumble. "I've got to assemble the Gathering cats for tonight."

"Actually, I'm not done," Cinderpelt went on evenly, sounding almost quiet. Leafpaw felt the fur on her neck bristle; what was her mentor hiding from her? "Just as I was about to run back to camp, a tiger jumped out of the fire."  
"A tiger?" Tigerstar whispered. There was a long pause, and Leafpaw assumed they must have been staring awkwardly at each other for a good portion of that time. "What does this mean?"  
Cinderpelt took in a quick breath. "I'm not sure," she said steadily, "but I believe that now that Firestar is gone, it can only mean one thing: the things that Firestar left behind."  
"His legacy," Tigerstar realized aloud. With a thoughtful pause, he added, "his kits."  
Leafpaw went a shiver tingle her spine. Their conversation had almost become unbearable, and she was already turned away when she realized that Tigerstar wasn't done talking.

"But what about the tiger?" he pressed. "Surely, that means… me?"  
Another pause. Leafpaw imagined Cinderpelt shaking her head slowly, like she always did when Leafpaw was ever so slightly incorrect.

"Tigerstar, if this omen refers to Firestar's kits, then it must also refer to yours."  
Leafpaw finally mustered the courage to peek around the mossy den entrance. She hid behind the long green stands just enough to see Tigerstar stiffen, eyes wide in alarm, before his shoulders relaxed in ease.

"Oh," he said in slight embarrassment. "You mean Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt?"

Cinderpelt's head bobbed in a nod. She hauled herself to her paws, which sent a surge of panic to Leafpaw, who crouched farther down. "But think about it, Tigerstar: Brambleclaw is your only kit who has access to Firestar's daughters on a regular basis. So now it's really down to which of Firestar's-"  
"Squirrelpaw."  
Leafpaw's eyes widened as Tigerstar spoke her sister's name. All this time, she expected her mentor and leader to gossip about her, but perhaps this omen was about someone completely different!

Cidnerpelt's eyes squinted. "Care to elucidate?"

Tigerstar sighed. "It makes complete sense. Brambleclaw is her mentor…" he trailed off with a deep sigh. "Was that a mistake? Was working out their fathers' past a mistake by making her his apprentice?"  
Cinderpelt placed her small gray paw on top of his. "I don't know," she whispered. "None of us know the meaning of this omen yet. I'm just worried that fire and tiger - Brmableclaw and Squirrelpaw, perhaps - will destroy us."  
That was enough for Leafpaw. She bolted away to the elder's den, scrambling to a halt at the front.

"Frostfur!" she greeted as the old queen emerged from the sheltered, shady space. "Any aching bones?"  
"Not lately!" Frostfur replied rather cheerfully. "Whatever herb Cinderpelt gave me last time was more than enough. Thank you, dear!" Leafpaw internally thanked her for saving her work and was on her way back to the medicine den. At least Frostfur was nice to her. The other elders had a tendency to gossip, and they had nothing better to do all day. And with Firestar's legacy hanging over Leafpaw's head, she was an easy target.

Leafpaw was so trapped in her thoughts that she nearly ran into Snowfoot.

"Hi, Snowfoot!" she greeted, moving her lips in wide motions. Snowfoot grinned back at her as he recognized his name, raising his tail in his normal, happy greeting.

Snowfoot and Leafpaw had been friends ever since Leafpaw had been apprenticed. They were both noticeably different: of course, Leafpaw was more of an introvert with an evil father, and Snowfoot was deaf. He had come a long way since he became a warrior, and Leafpaw couldn't be prouder. He couldn't do _everything_ , exactly, but he understood simple phrases with exaggerated mouth movements and tail motions enough to reply. He used prey's movement to hunt and tail signals to fight, and he had gotten quite good. Sometimes when Leafpaw was stressed she'd just talk to him and ramble on and on about things that wouldn't matter in a moon. And even though he couldn't listen, Snowfoot would stand beside her smiling like he understood every word.

Snowfoot nudged her in a friendly _what's up,_ and Leafpaw rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Training," she meowed. "Honestly, Cinderpelt makes everything so confusing! At least you had Mousefur. She was a good mentor, right? Mousefur?"

Snowfoot's eyes lit up as he recognized his mentor's name as it was mouthed. He nodded, pleased, although he hadn't a clue what Leafpaw was saying.

"Hey, where's Mistlewing?" Leafpaw went on, exaggerating her words again. Snowfoot again recognized her words and took a thoughtful moment before crouching into a hunting crouch with his eyes fixated on imaginary prey.

"Hunting?" Leafpaw guessed, eyes twinkling. Snowfoot grinned before using his crouch to his advantage and leaped up, bowling over Leafpaw. Leafpaw shrieked with joy and fought back quite pitifully, only making a small effort to give a couple weak swipes at his cheek.

Then Snowfoot lost his balance and Leafpaw tumbled over top of him in triumph. Snowfoot grew a determined look in his eyes, and the two stayed lock in a play battle until they rolled into the middle of the clearing and smack into Brackenfur.

"Hey!" the young warrior exclaimed in amusement, jumping back. "The older warriors aren't going to find that as amusing as I did, you know."  
"Sorry, Brackenfur," Leafpaw apologized, exchanging an amused glance with Snowfoot.

"ThunderClan!" Tigerstar bellowed. He stepped out of his den, coat slick under the new moonlight. Cinderpelt followed him, head low as she hobbled forward. "The following cats will go to the Gathering: Longtail, Runningwind, Dustpelt, Sorreltail, Graystripe, Brightheart, Brambleclaw, Frostfur, Speckletail, Swiftclaw, Shrewpaw, Squirrelpaw, Spiderpaw, and of course the deputy and medicine cats," he finished with a nod to Whitestorm, the deputy, who sat at his position at the base of Highrock.

Leafpaw bid Snowfoot a farewell before catching up to Cinderpelt as the group began to get together.

The night grew to be rather chilly as the group reached Fourtrees. Squirrelpaw had flanked Leafpaw the whole way there, but the had been unusually quiet the entire time. Leafpaw had other things to worry about.

ThunderClan was the second-last to arrive, leaving only RiverClan. Leafpaw sat close to the front of the rock, leaving room for Cinderpelt and Whitestorm to huddle together and whisper.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Blackstar bellowed, looking stronger and sleeker than ever in the moonlight. Leopardstar had arrived with RiverClan, taking their fishy scent with them. Tigerstar gave her a quick and friendly hello as Blackstar started off the Gathering.

Blackstar had only just begun talking when Leafpaw felt Squirrelpaw slip from her side. She turned around to see the ginger pelt weave among her Classmates and head for the back. Only a few heartbeats later, Brambleclaw stood up and headed in the same direction. Leafpaw's eyes narrowed.

 _Now what are they up to...?  
_ Instinctively, Leafpaw looked up at Tigerstar after hearing his worries about Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw. Sure enough, he had noticed, and although he didn't speak, his eyes had rounded in realization. Leafpaw didn't meet his gaze before she slunk away, thanking StarClan her pelt was darker than Squirrelpaw's, and crawled over to the ares behind the rock where Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw had snuck off to.

She heard voices the minute the got there, but Leafpaw realized after a few heartbeats that the apprentice and mentor were not alone.

"I'm telling you-" that was Brambleclaw's voice -"I had the same dream as Tawnypelt a couple nights ago about the place with the sunset and salty water. I think it means something."

"I don't think-"  
"No, guys, I think we're onto something. I had that dream, too. Last night." This voice was masculine, but had a certain tone to it that made Leafpaw wonder if Brambleclaw was meeting with a bunch of apprentices.

There was a pause before a new she-cat started speaking, and Leafpaw froze as she recognized Feathertail's voice. "I had the dream, too," she added. "Since we last met."

 _Last met?_ Leafpaw repeated in her brain. _Have they all gone mad, going against the code like this?_

"I looked into this place," a new she-cat meowed. "I got talking with some barn cat named Barney or something while I was hunting. He said he knew of that place, and that it was past Highstones."  
"Is that where StarClan is telling us to go?" Feathertail's voice. Leafpaw shuffled around in her hiding place - pressed up against the boulder - to see if she could see anything.

"It must be," the same, apprentice-sounding tom urged. When Leafpaw caught sight of him, she almost couldn't believe he was so young due to his broad and burly figure. He looked at the there cats: Feathertail, Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw, a tortoiseshell she-cat, and a skinny, dark gray tom - with seriousness in his ice-blue eyes.

"StarClan has spoken to us more than once," Feathertail revealed. "I think this is a journey we are destined to go on."  
"We don't know that we're supposed to _go_ to this salty river," the dark gray tom objected.

"But it's worth a try," the tortoiseshell argued. "Crowpaw, you can leave if you want to. But StarClan is asking us to do them a favor."

Crowpaw bristled, but he said nothing.

"It's settled then," Brambleclaw announced. "We leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow and meet on the edge of ThunderClan territory, closest to Highstones."

"Do we have any sort of directions whatsoever?" Squirrelpaw interjected.

"Nope," Crowpaw replied between clenched teeth. "But we're just gonna wing it."

"Sounds like an adventure," the RiverClan apprentice agreed. "Se you then!"

 _Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw going on a quest together?_ Quietly, Leafpaw stepped back with narrowed eyes.

 _Cinderpelt's omen might as well be happening right in front of me!_

 **Sorry for the very short chapter! I think as the story progresses I will feel more comfortable writing longer chapters, but for now it just feels like I'm rewriting the book. :( Hopefully once we reach the journey and definitely by the time they get back things will change for the better. We're just gonna have to get over this little block! :D**

 **Question, do you all like Warrior/Human AUs? I was thinking about making one just for fun and when I have writer's block.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Snow crystal of thunderclan: yay!**

 **petitprincess: it wasn't a specific reference, but now I kind of wish that were my intent, lol. As for Leafpool and Mothwing, I never had a like or dislike towards their ship, not for incestuous reasons, but just because I don't really like either of them in general. :p Fear not about college, btw! Life happens. As for Tadpole... heh, have I got bad news for you.. anyway, the reason that Hawk and Moth are in RiverClan is because Sasha wanted them to learn to swim because of Tadpole's drowning(or so I've heard), and it's kind of important for Hawkpaw/frost to be there for plot reasons, so sorry about Tadpole! Snowfoot is my favorite EVER (gotta love me some stargleamstar) and of course if Rock isn't voiced by Morgan freeman I can and will throw a fit. Because, I mean, come on. Thank you for the reassurance, by the way!**

 **walkswithwheels: ah, I'm loving Snowfoot. Kind of unexpected, because of how apprehensive I was about keeping him alive as a kit. We'll have to see about him. :)**

 **WyldClaw: thanks, I'm glad! :D**

 **DNA cat: She's going to be a special type of evil, I think. Very different from Firestar, because here (** **obviously) she doesn't have any motives yet. Hawkfrost is going to be interesting as well. And I love the idea of a one-shot on Sasha, I think it will clear things up. But I'll make that once the big ~revelation~ comes.**

 **MongooseVox: thank you for the encouragement!**

 **Spotted heart: you tell 'em!**

 **FeatherSunfire: I feel like if it's a TV show, the animation and overall show won't be as top-quality, as it is with many TV shows. I hope it's not rushed, but at this point I'd go for anything. I'd prefer the best movie they can make, but I'm happy with the chance that the Erin team has. :)  
**

 **Thank you all for your AU encouragement. I made one a couple days ago called Downtown! You can find it on my profile after you read this chapter, lol. It's (hence the title) about the Omen of the Stars generation living as young adults in the city and it has two chapters now to refresh you guys from all the high school AUs. We'll see where it goes from there!**

* * *

"Brambleclaw. Wake up."  
Brambleclaw blinked his eyes opened to see the eager crystal eyes of Feathertail staring down at him and felt her tiny paw nudging his shoulders. He rose to his paws quietly, and he and Feathertail exchanged an unspoken nod as she turned around and crept around her sleeping Clanmates.

Brambleclaw followed her, twisting to avoid Longtail's sprawled out shape. One he exited the warrior's den, he sighed in relief. _I feel like I've snuck out a million times now!  
_ Feathertail flicked her tail as Brambleclaw ducked under the exit and padded towards the center of camp. Feathertail sat down by the fresh-kill pile, and her silver fur glowed in the moonlight of Silverpelt. Brambleclaw wrapped his tail around his paws and pressed up beside her as he waited in silence. He could hear Tigerstar's gentle snoring from his den and the rustling of the warriors as they turned in their sleep. Finally, an orange shape emerged from the apprentice's den and trotted up to the warriors.

"Hey." Squirrelpaw's emerald eyes shone in excitement. "I tried really hard to not wake Shrewpaw. Are we ready to go?"

Feathertail nodded silently and Brambleclaw rose to his paws, ushering them to the farthest exit so that they would leave silently.

Three three cats sauntered into the forest in complete silence. Brambleclaw pelted Squirrelpaw, and he was grateful for her unusual quietness. An owl shrieked from somewhere above him and took off from a branch, and Brambleclaw felt Squirrelpaw puff up in surprise.

Feathertail led the tiny parade all the way to the point where ThunderClan and WindClan met, on the way to the Moonstone. She sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws.

"Squirrelpaw," Brambleclaw breathed, "no Clan owns this strip of land. It's on the way to the Moonstone and Highstones."  
"This is where we meet the other cats tonight," Feathertail added, staring at the mountains ahead of her as they rose into the dark gray sky.

"I see you've arrived," cut in another voice. The cats spun around as another voice joined them. Brambleclaw forced his fur flat as he recognized Hawkpaw's ice-blue eyes peering from under a bush. Hawkpaw emerged from the brush, shaking his thick pelt of twigs, and Crowpaw and Tawnypelt followed him. Feathertail's whiskers twitched in surpsie.

"So we're the last ones here?" she meowed. Crowpaw spat out a leaf as he broke free of the bush.

"Yeah, and also the most obvious," the dark gray tom growled. "Genius here wanted us to hide in case _my_ Clan found us and ratted us out."  
He jerked his head at Hawkpaw, whose eyes rounded. Squirrelpaw whirled around to face Crowpaw in Hawkpaw's defense. "To be fair, WindClan isn't the best with intruders," she jeered.

Crowpaw began to bristle. "Oh yeah? What's ThunderClan going to do with intruders, command the kittypets and traitors and attack?"  
Now it was Squirrelpaw's turn to get defensive. "Why don't you go and join FireClan like the rest of your Clan did?"

Crowpaw broke into a smirk. "Your father was the leader. Shouldn't it be more you than me?"

"Hey!" Brambleclaw barked, shoving himself between the arguing apprentices. "Both of you, shut up. Neither of you can help your parentage or kinship."  
"Okay, Mr. I'm The Leader's Son," Crowpaw spat. "Stand up for the kittypet."

Tawnypelt's eyes sparked with anger. "That's enough!" she snarled. "We're not getting anywhere on this journey if all we do is argue." Feathertail nodded sharply in agreement.

"It's time we get leaving," Hawkpaw remarked, glancing at Highstones cautiously. "It's only midnight for so long."

"Yeah, and the other Clans have probably already heard us," Feathertail muttered.

Just then, the brambles behind the cats began to tremble. Brambleclaw froze and unsheathed his claws in case a WindClan cat had been spying on them when a lithe, light tabby shape slid out. A bundle of leaves dropped from her maw and the moonlight hit her fur brilliantly. Crowpaw hissed, but Feathertail jumped in front of him before he could attack.

"Leafpaw!" Squirrelpaw hissed, rushing up to her sister and rubbing her muzzle against her fiercely. She drew away worriedly. "How did you know we were here?"  
The timid medicine cat shrugged. "I heard you guys talk at the Gathering. Don't worry," she added hastily, "I haven't told anyone and don't plan on it. I just brought traveling herbs in case you don't come back for a while. That way you don't have to worry about hunting for a while."  
Brambleclaw exhaled. "Thank you," he murmured honestly.

"For StarClan's sake, how many ThunderClan cats need to know about this?" Crowpaw whined. Hawkpaw nudged him.

"Just be thankful Leafpaw is nice," he commented, smiling at the medicne cat. "I'd rather have her find out than Tigerstar or Whitestorm!"  
"Hey now," Brambleclaw said mischievously. Hawkpaw grinned before the cats turned to Leafpaw and began lapping down the herbs.

Leafpaw stepped back as Tawnypelt finished the last of the herbs. Brambleclaw tried his best to conceal his face of disgust at the bitter leaf, but he shoved his thoughts back and forced a smile at Leafpaw. Squirrelpaw padded up to her sister numbly.

"Thank you," she whispered, resting her chin on Leafpaw's shoulder. Leafpaw looked at her warmly, but sadness stung in her eyes. "Oh, what are we going to do? I can't leave you alone with ThunderClan. You know what they say about us."  
"I know," Leafpaw murmured, closing her eyes. "But I have Cinderpelt and Snowfoot. They'll take care of me."  
Squirrelpaw drew back. "Promise?"  
Leafpaw leaned back into the bushes and smiled bittersweetly. "Always."  
Then she was gone. Squirrelpaw stared at the brambles for a long moment. Brambleclaw wanted to break the silence but had no idea how to.

"Well then," Tawnypelt said curtly, and Brambleclaw internally thanked her. "Let's be on our way. We've got a long journey ahead of us."  
The other cats murmured in agreement. Tawnypelt began to lead the way, and Brambleclaw trotted up beside her.

"Hey," he greeted softly. "I haven't even had the chance to ask how you are yet."  
Tawnypelt didn't look at him, but Brambleclaw could see a slight smile reach her lips. "I'm okay," she said honestly. "ShadowClan is beginning to like me, I think. Rowanclaw does, though, and that's all that matters."  
Brambleclaw tipped his head to the side. "You two thinking of kits?"  
Tawnypelt's ears flattened. "No! Oh StarClan, I hope _he's_ not. I still feel too young for that, Brambleclaw."

Brambleclaw chuckled. "I didn't mean to spook you," he meowed. "But seriously. I mean Feathertail and I don't have our eye on anyone, but Ferncloud and Brightheart both have kits - you remember them, certainly. They're not too old."

Tawnypelt purred. "Of course I remember," she said. "I still talk to my old Clanmates at Gatherings. And Ferncloud and Brightheart, they both found their mates when they were still young and apprentices. They were destined to be happy and have kits."  
"Tawnypelt, you left your Clan to become mates with Rowanclaw," Brambleclaw said, though the reminder stung his paws as he remembered attacking her as apprentices at the mere thought. Tawnypelt looked ahead, and the dull lights and roars of the Thunderpath grew nearer.

"That's true, but I had loyalty to prove," Tawnypelt pointed out. "I still do. I love kits, but… I want to feel welcome in ShadowClan before they're born, you know? If I'm not welcome, then... " she broke of fin a sigh. "I just don't want them to be like Firestar's kits. From what Squirrelpaw just told Leafpaw, they sound like they're struggling."

Brambleclaw's heart ached for his sister. "And they are," he murmured honestly. "Honestly, if Squirrelpaw weren't a pain in my tail all the time, maybe I'd feel bad for her."

Tawnypelt grinned. "You were a pain in _my_ tail in ThunderClan."  
Brambleclaw snorted. "We had one parent, and he was worried about everything in the forest _except_ us. What did you expect me to do?"  
Tawnypelt's eyes softened as they reached the Thudnerpath and halted. "Do you ever miss Goldenflower?" she whispered, ears flat as a monster rumbled by and flattened their fur. "I do, sometimes."

Brambleclaw nodded as the other cats reached them. "I do, too," he murmured, voice cracking at the vivid scene of his mother's beautiful, barely-colored fur tainted red in the clearing.

"We have to cross this," came Hawkpaw's determined voice. He slid up beside Brambleclaw, and Brambleclaw straightened his shoulders as he realized the apprentice was almost as big as him.

"Yeah," Brambleclaw agreed, narrowing his eyes. "Okay, when I say go, Tawnypelt, you cross. We'll have to go one at a time."  
Crowpaw ruffled up. " _I_ think-"

"No offense, but nobody cares," Brambleclaw interrupted. He waited for a monster to pass and ignored Crowpaw's open mouth of annoyance before bellowing, "Go!"

He held his breath and watched as Tawnypelt streaked across the stinky black path. For a moment, she disappeared. Brambleclaw strained his neck and waited for a fleeting moment before his sister's head popped up.

"I'm safe!" she called. Sighs of relief followed, even from Crowpaw.

Brambleclaw watched as the other cats crossed, one at a time, until it was just him and Hawkpaw.

"We can cross at the time time, right?" Hawkpaw suggested. "I mean, we're both pratically the same size."  
"Thanks for the reminder," Brambleclaw muttered. "Anyway, you're right. Go at three…" he glanced to his left to see if there was a monster roaring towards them, and sure enough, there was. "Two... One…" the monster thundered past, making the ground tremble and the wind howl, before speeding off. "Now!"

Brambleclaw streaked across the large strip of pavement with Hawkpaw at his side. A vibration tingled in his paws and Hawkpaw meowed in shock.

"Look out!" Squirrelpaw warned from the other side.

"Faster!" Hawkpaw yowled. "There's another one coming!"

Just as the second fake yellow light hit Brambleclaw's coat, he leapt. He felt Hawkpaw beside him, thankfully, as he rolled over into the grass. He fell into darkness once more as the monster sped off and left Brambleclaw in a numb deafness.

"Hawkpaw," he rasped. "Are you okay?"  
The brown tabby head popped up, and Hawkpaw nibbled at his tail. "I'm fine," he huffed. "That was exhilarating!"

"Hopefully we only have to cross one of those," Feathertail snorted, kinking her tail over her back. "I nearly lost my tail!"

"What a shame that would be," Crowpaw joked, though this time it didn't sound nearly as dry as usual. "Then you'd just be Feather!"

Feathertail fake laughed. "Hilarious."  
"Hey, we're at a Twolegplace," Tawnypelt commented from the front of the line. She jerked her her to the side, where rows and rows of dimly-lit Twolegplace houses sat neatly.

"Do we have to go through it?" Squirrelpaw whispered, lowering her head. Tawnypelt flicked her ear with her tail.

"Unless you want to go through the mountains, I don't see the harm in following this wood thing," she remarked, flicking her tail at a row of wooden posts that extended as far as Brambleclaw could see. She dug her claws into the side and hauled herself up to the top effortlessly. "See?" she chirped. "Easy!"

"These are like skinny white trees!" Feathertail marveled, eyes wide as she followed her old friend.

"Fences," Squirrelpaw muttered under her breath. Brambleclaw wondered briefly if she had learned the term from Sandstorm or Firestar, and in the back of his mind, he promised to remember it. He followed her, leaving Hawkpaw and Crowpaw to come up last.

But just as Hawkpaw began his climb, the Twoleg door swung open to a small, chubby Twoleg, gasping at the sight of the cats lining her fence. She waddled towards them with extended arms and a happy squeal.

"Brambleclaw!" Squirrelpaw hissed. "What do we do?"

But before Brambleclaw could react, the Twoleg kit let out a shriek of joy, which startled Hawkpaw so much that he overestimated the fence and missed, tumbling over into the Twoleg garden.

The RiverClan apprentice was frozen in fear as the human reached down and made a strange cooing noise. Brambleclaw saw Hawkpaw's claws unsheathe in self-protection as the Twoleg kit made a swift movement to crouch down and open her arms. Then, to Brambleclaw's surprise, she began to speak.

"Cat," she said. "Cat cat cat cat."  
Tawnypelt huffed. "Is she… is she trying to _talk_ to him?"  
"Well, it's not working," came Crowpaw's voice from below the fence. "Do something, Brambleclaw! She's going to grab him!"

Brambleclaw watched the Twoleg advance towards Hawkpaw. _Think, Brambleclaw, think!_  
Then a new voice reached him, one that he did not recognize.

 _Twolegs do not have bad intentions. You can save Hawkpaw easily._

"What?" Brambleclaw whispered so that the other cats couldn't hear. Meanwhile, the Twoleg was making a random babbling string of "cat cat cat" again.

 _They don't need many cats to feel overwhelmed. Jump down there and act like you like the stupid thing! Make yourself a kittypet for a few heartbeats._

"Wha-"  
 _Oh, just do it! There's a cat on the line here. If you don't then she'll take Hawkpaw inside and you'll never see him again._

Brambleclaw jutted his jaw and jumped down so that the voice wouldn't bother him again. This was followed by the other cats' protests, but Brambleclaw ignored them and padded over to the Twoleg cautiously. She let out another shriek of joy and turned to him.

 _That's right, said the voice. Chin up. Pupils round. Arch your back - there you go._

Brambleclaw tried not to wince as the big meaty came down and stroked from his neck to his tail. He forced a purr and the human giggled.

"What are you doing?" Hawkpaw hissed, bristling.

"Saving your butt," Brambleclaw replied through gritted teeth. "Go! While she isn't looking!"

Hawkpaw looked at Brambleclaw like he was out of his mind, but he didn't hesitate before turning around and scrambling back up the fence. Hawkpaw nearly fell back into the garden, but Tawnypelt grabbed his scruff in her mouth and helped him up. The Twoleg didn't even notice.

 _Good, very good._ The voice sounded impressed. _Now make it look like you're friends. Bump her hand with your head._

Brambleclaw reached out hesitantly and shoved huis head under the Twoleg's massive paw. The Twoleg let out a chirp of excitement before Brambleclaw stepped back, purring a goodbye before turning around and leaping back up onto the fence. The Twoleg kit waved her paw before turning back and standing near her nest, watching the cats intently.

The other cats stared at Brambleclaw for a long, annoying moment.

"What was _that_?" Crowpaw blurted.

"Yeah, when did you become such a kittypet?" Feathertail gasped. Then she noticed Brambleclaw's mortified expression and nudged him. "Kidding. How did you know to do that? You saved Hawkpaw!"

"If it were me, I'd have scratched that thing's face!" Squirrelpaw chimed in, demonstrating with the swipe of her paw.

"Thanks, Brambleclaw," Hawkpaw purred in gratitude. "How'd you know to do that?"

Brambleclaw paused, waiting for his little voice to return. It did not.

"Oh, just instincts, I guess," he excused himself. "Come on, let's keep moving."

* * *

 **Yay we're on the journey now! I actually kind of had fun while writing this chapter. Oh, and if it wasn't kind of obvious, the human saying "cat cat cat" was just a human trying to meow to a cat and it came out gibberish in the cats' language. Because sometimes little kids do that. I've always wondered why it wasn't in the series though I do think it happened in Tallstar's Revenge? Idk. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please check out Downtown!  
**


	6. Chapter 5

**hayjay5302: well sasha does't have a reason to _hate_ Tigerstar, does she? I mean he's obviously pretty okay in this version. We'll have to see... :) (but yeah you caught me... I guess I could have tadpole live but it's a bit too late for that now...) **

**snowcrystal of thunderclan: friend or foe? We just don't know!**

 **FeatherSunfire: We will definitely find out about the voice, just not for a little while. We'll find out about the Clan realizing they're gone this chapter!**

 **Spotted heart: Firestar? Don't yolk with me. You're leaving me a bit shell shocked, and to be frank, I'm scrambled. Omlettin' this one slide. (are you egg-noring me yet?) (I'm sorry)**

 **Oh! Two more things. One is that I fixed chapter thirteen (i think it was 13?) of _Dusk_ because it had so many formatting issues. It's normal now! Yay! Also while i was rereading this story I realized I forgot to make something clear: Tigerstar does not know Hawkpaw and Mothpaw are his kits. He knows that there is a possibility that he has kits outside of ThunderClan because he and Sasha obviously had a thing going but he ****does not know who and where they are.**

* * *

Leafpaw woke up at the crack of dawn that morning. How could she sleep, knowing that her sister was going outside of the code and possibly jeopardizing her life on a StarClan-sent quest?  
Leafpaw sighed and rolled over just as the first morning light began to filter into the medicine cat den. She glanced over at Cinderpelt, whose flank was rising and falling gently in sleep. It seemed like everyone got prophecies and omens except Leafpaw; first her mentor and then Brambleclaw and Feathertail!

She wondered who would find out the three cats were missing first. Squirrelpaw would be a dead giveaway because of her boisterous personality, Brambleclaw usually led the patrols, and Feathertail usually hung out in her tight, girly clique with Brightheart and Mistlewing. Leafpaw had decided to carry on with her duties until the whole Clan was in panic, so not to remain suspicious. Even though it killed her to keep a secret from her Clan, especially Cinderpelt, this was Squirrelpaw's secret. And Leafpaw had vowed to not let her sister down.

 _And besides_ , she added mentally, rising to her paws in her moss bedding, _the other cats didn't seem pleased when I showed up to drop off herbs, especially Crowpaw!_

"Dawn patrols!"

Eventually, Whitestorm emerged from the warrior's den, ears alert. For an older warrior, the white tom always seemed to be keen and, much the everyone's annoyance, willing to wake up early. A groggy brown tom passed him, and Whitestorm tapped his spine with his tail.

"Dustpelt, would you lead one?" he asked. Dustpelt looked ready to sway over and go back to sleep, but he nodded groggily anyway just as his mate, Ferncloud, emerged from behind him and trotted over to the apprentice's den, most likely to greet her sons.

"Very well. Take Sandstorm, Rainwhisker, Swiftclaw, and Cloudtail," Whitestorm replied thoughtfully.

"Hey, could I hold off this time?" a light ginger she-cat asked, strolling up beside Whitestorm. "Tigerstar promised I could hunt later."

Leafpaw reached the entrance of her den and sat down, half-smirking at her mother's request. Sandstorm had been much less feisty ever since Leafpaw and Squirrelpaw had learned of their father and his deeds. She seemed to hang her head low, like an old wound had been split open once more. Leafpaw wondered if Sandstorm ever regretted meeting Firestar, but if she loved him, then Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw were meant to be and treasures of ThunderClan.

And Leafpaw had been told time and time again after that day, despite what the elders might say, that she was not an accident.

Whitestorm nodded to Sandstorm. "That's fine. Dustpelt, take Brambleclaw instead. Squirrelpaw can sit out today. She has her assessment coming up soon." Dustpelt nodded, only half-listening.

"Brambleclaw… Swiftclaw… Rainwhisker, Cloudtail?" he grumbled to himself. "Okay then."

"I want Darkstripe leading the other patrol," Whitestorm went on. The lithe, dark gray tabby flicked an ear from the middle of camp, where his back was arched in a stretch. "You can take Ashfur, Mistlewing, and Brightheart and Shrewpaw."

Mistlewing and Brightheart exchanged an amused glance. "Too bad Feathertail isn't with us!" Mistlewing exclaimed in amusement. "That'd be one great patrol, right Ashfur?"  
The gray speckled tom snorted. "That's hilarious. A patrol with the three of _you_?"

He shook his head. Brightheart stepped toward him, amused. "Oh, come on. You know, she said she'd give you a chance if you stopped being such a mouse-brain."  
Ashfur flushed. "She did _not_ say that!"

Brightheart and Mistlewing broke into a fit of giggles.

"Come on, you three," Darkstripe huffed, shouldering past the young warriors. "Brightheart, get your apprentice. It's going to be a long patrol," he added, glaring at them. Mistlewing stifled another laugh as the patrol began to leave.

Leafpaw narrowed her eyes. No one had noticed the missing cats yet… perhaps she should so "find" Squirrelpaw?

"Come on, Brambleclaw!" Dustpelt hollered, drawing away from Ferncloud. The rest of the patrol had assembled, looking more cranky about Brambleclaw than concerned. "The quicker we get this done, the better."

"Oi, Brackenfur!" Cloudtail called to the golden brown tabby, who had just then emerged from the warrior's den. "Shout to Brambleclaw, would you? He needs to drag his tail out of bed and join the dawn patrol."

"Brambleclaw?" Brackenfur echoed. He turned slightly to see inside the den, then shook his head. "I'm the last one in the den. He's probably using dirtplace."

"Has anybody seen Squirrelpaw?" Spiderpaw suddenly complained loudly from the apprentice's den.

His brother, Shrewpaw, peeked around Spiderpaw's neck nervously. "She threatened to scratch me if I woke her up early again and I think I might have accidentally done that."

"She should be with Brambleclaw." Now it was Whitestorm's turn to frown. "But he's-"

The confused cats all began to simultaneously look at the dirtplace. Suddenly a cat emerged, but this one lacked broad shoulders and tall posture.

" _Woo_! If I were you, I would _not_ go back there for a while," Mousefur announced, not noticing the quiet stares of the camp. Then she opened her eyes, and her expression dropped. "What?"

Whitestorm cleared his throat, unable to find the words to speak. "You uh, you didn't happen to see Brambleclaw back there, did you?"

Mousefur looked taken aback. "Brambleclaw? I hope he's not back there. Otherwise he and I just got to know each other uncomfortably well."

"So he's gone?" Sorreltail gasped.

"Where else would he be?" Longtail added darkly, looking at Runningwind worriedly.

"What's going on?" Cinderpelt murmured. She had woken without a sound, and had dragged herself over to Leafpaw.

Leafpaw did not look at her. "Brambleclaw's missing."

"We need _answers_ ," Dappletail growled from the elder's rock. She had found just the right gap to fill with her need for drama and had butted in excitedly. "He can't be missing!" The patrols had yet to leave, and instead they had gathered around the Whitestorm worriedly.

"Now, this is no time to make assumptions and freak out," the deputy said calmly. "I'm sure that Brambleclaw took Squirrelpaw out to training early for her assessment. There is no need to-"

"Feathertail! I can't find Feathertail either!"

Whitestorm was broken off by Mistlewing's screech. The young she-cat had broken into the middle of the crowd, eyes wild. "I went to find her just now to tell her I had patrol. She's not in the den!"

This made much more of a commotion.

" _Three_ cats missing?"

"Where could they be?"

"An apprentice is gone?"

" _What's going on_?"

Silence. Leafpaw watched in a cold respect as Tigerstar emerged from his den. He looked angry (as did many of the cats in the morning) as he swung his head back and forth until he reached Whitestorm.

Whitestorm cleared his throat as Tigerstar stopped in front of him, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the forest than right there in the center of camp.

"Why are the patrols still here?" the leader hissed. "Has there been some kind of mix-up?"

"Kind of," Whitestorm said hesitantly. "Feathertail, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw don't appear to be in camp this morning."

There was a long silence as Tigerstar processed his deputy's words.  
"Where else would they be?" he asked warily.

Whitestorm sighed. "We don't know, but surely, this is nothing to panic about," Whitestorm replied with a glare to Dappletail. "I'll send out the patrols to try and find them, if you'd like."  
"Keep an eye out for them," Tigerstar agreed, flicking his tail dismissively. "Who did you say it was, Squirrelpaw, Feathertail, and... Brambleclaw?"

"Yes." Whitestorm nodded shortly. Tigerstar seemed to tense at his son's name. Leafpaw knew Tigerstar could be hard on Brambleclaw and a little protective, so she'd half-expected him to go nuts.

"Patrols are dismissed as usual," Tigerstar said loudly. "Keep an eye out for these cats. And Cinderpelt, see me. Now."  
Leafpaw watched as the camp slowly buzzed into whispers at the patrols left worriedly. Cinderpelt hauled herself to her paws as Tigerstar approached them.

"Leafpaw, go check on the elders," she murmured, not even looking at her apprentice. "I'd like to talk with Tigerstar in private."  
Leafpaw felt her pelt prickle but she said nothing in protest. "There's no bile for ticks," she commented.

"Whitepaw's on tick duty this week," Cinderpelt answered. "I want one more check on Frostfur's aching limbs, and make sure Speckletail isn't still coughing."

 _Frostfur is aching because she's getting old!_ Leafpaw bit back the retort as Tigerstar gave Cinderpelt a quiet welcome and grabbed a few herbs before retreating. This time she did not listen in as Cinderpelt drew close to Tigerstar and spoke to him in rapid, worried whispers, nor did she care.

Her sister, the daughter of Tigerstar's nemesis, was gone on a journey with Tigerstar's son. Surely, this would line up with Cinderpelt's omen for a perfect disaster. All they had to do was realize that these cats were not coming back, at least, not for a long time.

Leafpaw froze as Tigerstar's dark amber gaze landed on her pelt. She felt her pelt burn as she greeted the elders weakly.

 _They're talking about Squirrelpaw and I, aren't they?_

* * *

An hour came and went.

No patrols.

Leafpaw felt herself want to burst with the weight of the secret, but she kept her mouth shut. She shared a measly mouse from yesterday with Snowfoot, who sat beside her in his usual silence.

Finally, the bushes began to rustle. Tigerstar's ears perked hopefully as he clambered down form Highrock. He rushed past Leafpaw and Snowfoot as Dustpelt emerged into camp, head down. Only Cloudtail, Swiftclaw, and Rainwhisker followed him.

"Any luck?" Tigerstar called, scrambling to a halt in front of him. Dust pelt slowly shook his head.

"No, Tigerstar. We caught Squirrelpaw's scent outside camp but we couldn't follow it. I'm sorry," Dustpelt added, dipping his head in respect.

"We also saw some Twolegs on our territory," Cloudtail added, single blue eye flickering worriedly. "They were like, looking at trees on our territory. There were a few monsters off the Thunderpath, but they didn't seem to be doing any harm."

"I don't want anything to do with the Twolegs," Tigerstar snarled, growing steadily impatient. "I want answers."

Dustpelt stepped in front of Cloudtail. "We don't _have_ answers," he growled.

Just then, Darkstripe burst through the barrier. Heads turned his way as he emerged with Mistlewing and Brightheart, both of whom were bristling and flanking two more cats. Snowfoot tensed beside her and Leafpaw strained her neck, but all she caught were glimpses of black and silvery fur as the two new cats entered camp.

"What's going on?" Tigerstar growled as Darkstripe stepped aside. Leafpaw recognized one of the cats as Stonefur, the RiverClan deputy. The other looked hostile but also smelled of fish. "Did these cats have anything to do with the disappearance of-"

"Actually, Tigerstar, we came to talk about that," Stonefur said smoothly, gliding up beside the ThunderClan leader. "You see, this morning, one of our apprentices - Hawkpaw - was reported missing. We met with some ShadowClan cats who said one of their warriors had gone missing as well."

"That could be a coincidence," Tigerstar said stiffly.

"Aren't you interested in knowing who the ShadowClan cat is, Tigerstar?" Stoenefur said with an odd glint in his eyes. "It was Tawnypelt."

Tigerstar's mouth opened slightly. His gaze flickered from the RievrClan deputy to Darkstripe to Cinderpelt before it landed on Stonefur once more. "Brambleclaw - my other kit - he went missing this morning, along with another warrior and his apprentice."

Stonefur nodded. "That's what we were afraid of. Leopardstar has requested an emergency Gathering to further discuss this issue and see about WindClan."

Tigerstar's ears perked. "They're involved?"

Stonefur shook his head. "No word from them yet. Anyway, the Gathering starts soon. It's in your Clan's best interest to go."

"Thank you," Tigerstar said. Leafpaw exchanged a glance with Snowfoot. Though he had no idea what was going on, he still looked on edge. "Darkstripe, you may escort them to the border. ThunderClan, let's assemble for this Gathering."

* * *

Leafpaw sat below of the great boulder next to Cinderpelt as the Gathering began. ThunderClan had been silent the whole way over, now worried as the realization of their three cats truly sunk in.

WindClan was the last to arrive. Tallstar bounded up to the rock and leap, though he looked much older and less agile next to Blackstar's broad shape and Leopardstar's lithe and sleek one.

"Let the Gathering begin!" the RiverClan leader meowed loudly. She flicked her tail for silence. "Now, I know that this is a very sudden Gathering, but I belive all the Clans are facing a very serious problem. If you are confused as of what that is, let me remind you: this morning, RiverClan awoke to the realization that one of our apprentices was missing without a trace. His name was Hawkpaw. Some of you may know him."  
Murmurs grew in the crowds among the other Clans.

"We face a similar issue," Backstar revealed. "One of our cats, Tawnypelt, is missing as well. It is unclear why she would leave and so suddenly, especially without any warning."  
"We are missing three cats: Feathertail, Brambleclaw, and Brambleclaw's apprentice, Squirrelpaw," Tigerstar announced, looking at the other leaders gravely. "One of our patrols picked up Squirrelpaw's scent outside of camp but we have not found any of them yet."  
There was a silence. Leopardstar looked at Tallstar, who had not spoken yet.

"Tallstar?" she meowed. "Have any of your cats gone missing?"  
The black and white leader cleared his throat. "We are missing one apprentice, Crowpaw." Murmurs began to arise. Leafpaw closed her eyes in relief. _All the missing cats have been reported._

"We thought the Twolegs had captured him," Tallstar went on. "They've been on our territory a lot lately and they tried to capture Tallpoppy last sunrise. We thought they might have gotten Crowpaw."

"This can't be a coincidence," Blackstar growled, rising to his paws. "This many cats just suddenly gone? Perhaps Twolegs are behind this after all."  
"Or StarClan!" Bark face suggested. Leafpaw froze, but his suggestion was drowned in a sea of other possible explanations.

"He never told me anything!" Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy and Crowpaw's mother said worriedly. "He just vanished!"  
"My kits said nothing of this," Tigerstar rumbled, siting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. Leafpaw blinked sympathetically; Tigerstar was worried sick. He'd already lost his mate and kind of lost Tawnypelt, so having both of his kits leave the Clans was a wound reopened to him.

"Feathertail told me nothing as well," Graystripe said, kneading the ground his his claws. Leafpaw felt her heart reach out to him, too: Stormpaw, Feathertail's brother, and her mother Silverstream were both dead.

"And Hawkpaw would have told me something!" cried Hawkpaw's sister, Mothpaw, from beside Mudfur in RiverClan's spot. Leafpaw looked at her friend, the only medicine cat near her age. The thought of everyone's family being so worried brought her attention to Squirrelpaw and how no one had said anything about her; Sandstorm had not been present at the Gathering. Leafpaw felt guilty and almost stood up, but the thought of speaking in front of the whole Gathering nearly made her knees wobble. And it wasn't like she'd be telling the truth: she _did_ know where Squirrelpaw was.

"O _kay_!" exclaimed Leopardstar. "Obviously these cats left for a reason they didn't want us to know. So now their fate is in their paws."  
"Surely they're not traveling _together_?" a WindClan cat spoke out, dumbfounded.

"It seems so," Tallstar rumbled, eyes narrowed.

"If it's anything, it's the work of StarClan," preached Runningnose, the ShadowClan medicine cat. "Nothing else would pull together so many different cats like this."  
The other cats murmured agreement. Cinderpelt did not look at Leafpaw, and Leafpaw's pelt prickled. _She's still worried about Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw together like they're going to destroy the forest like her dumb omen said!_

"Maybe we should wait them out," Blackstar suggested wisely. "If we have any other news about these cats, it will be discussed at the _normal_ Gathering." With that remark heave Leopardstar a sidelong glare before leaping down from the rock and assembling his Clan together.

Leopardstar sighed deeply. She leaned over and made a whispering comment to Tigerstar, who seemed a little more assured as he bounded towards the exit of Fourtrees and flicked his tail. Leafpaw rose to her paws and followed the rest of her Clan as they departed from the other cats, back towards ThunderClan camp. Gatherings made her tired, even if this one was was still early in the morning.

The cats hadn't made it too far when there was a screech from ahead. The patrol fell to a complete stop.  
"What's going on?" came Runningwind's high voice from behind Leafpaw.

Leafpaw scampered ahead, shoving past Mousefur and Longtail until Tigerstar's broad head was in view. In front of them was a large Twoleg monster, but like none Leafpaw had ever seen before. It was big and yellow and had glowing, shiny teeth.  
"Just go around it," Tigerstar hissed around his teeth. "ThunderClan, follow me. And _be quiet_."  
He fell into a crouch with the rest of the patrol mirroring him. Leafpaw felt her heart beat faster as she pressed low to the ground, staring at the monster intently.

Then it began to move. It whirled and growled and rammed itself into a young oak until the leaves started to sway along with the branches.

"What is it _doing_?" Sorreltail cried.

Before anyone could answer her question, there was a snap, and the tree began to plummet towards earth.

"Run!" Tigerstar bellowed. Leafpaw bolted towards camp without hesitation, peeking over her shoulder as the oak became farther and farther away. Then the tree hit the ground. Leafpaw flattened herself against the earth as debris and spare leaves flew up in a frenzy and the impact reached her and shook the ground. Then there was silence.

"Is everyone alright?" Tigerstar meowed. His voice was weak. cats rose to their paws, coughing and shaking.

"I think so," said Longtail, who was in the very back. "No one's injured, I think."  
"We have to keep moving," Runningwind rasped. "The monster is still awake."  
Tigerstar nodded grimly. His tail flicked, and Leafpaw felt herself racing back to camp worriedly. Cinderpelt caught up to her eventually. The gray cat seemed spooked, but she still did not speak or look at her apprentice.

Did Cinderpelt hate Leafpaw? The young medicine cat couldn't help but wonder. Cinderpelt hated Firestar, yes, because he had caused her accident as well as many other deaths among ThunderClan cats. She might have hated Sandstorm for bringing Firestar's kits into the world against the code. She might even hate Squirrelpaw now, if she and Brambleclaw truly _did_ destroy the Clans.

So what did that mean for Leafpaw?

"We have to look out for Twolegs in the future." That was Mousefur's voice of reason. The small brown she cat was staring at Tigerstar intently. The brown leader sighed deeply.  
"I know," he said. "We'll watch out for more falling trees. If it becomes more of an issue it will be discussed with the other Clans but as of now, be thankful no one is hurt." Mousefur merely nodded, and Leafpaw stifled a sigh.

 _Oh right_ , she reminded herself. _There are more things for ThunderClan to worry about than Firestar right now._

* * *

 **Nothing much to say except a happy early holidays!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Snowcrystal of thunderclan: that's because I can't answer it for now c: and no, she does not hate Leafpaw. She's in a weird mood because of everything going on, but she definitely doesn't _hate_ her. **

**hayjay5304: he didn't have much of a character since he only appeared in the manga). He was a sweet little cat though, sad death.** **:(**

 **WyldClaw: thank you :D  
Spottedheart: oh, egg puns. My eggstraordinary talent. **

* * *

Brambleclaw paused along the fence line to curl his tongue in a yawn. The traveling cats had slowed significantly as the sun began to rise and the Twolegplace seemly just stretched on forever.

"Tell me again why we couldn't have just gone through the mountains?" Crowpaw whined. Hawkpaw flicked his tail with his ear.

"Seems a lot more difficult, if you ask me," he said playfully. "I'd rather not get eaten by an eagle!"  
"I would rather that then see one more kittypet," Crowpaw argued. For once, Brambleclaw silently agreed with him. It seemed like every Twoleg den had at least one kittypet, and those cats would lie outside in the wee hours of the morning and ask the traveling cats a million questions before they passed their garden. It made Brambleclaw want to claw his own ears off, but Tawnypelt had calmed the group down by telling them to not reply to the kittypets at all and simply just walk forward.

"Maybe we should ask for help," Feathertail suggested. "Look, we've been in Twolegplace since midnight and it's almost morning. Surely there's someone around that can help us?"  
"There are _plenty_ of kittypets," Squirrelpaw said dryly.

"She meant a loner," Brambleclaw growled. "Those kittypets couldn't find their way around their own gardens if their life depended on it."  
This resulted in a small, subtle growl from Squirrelpaw, and Brambleclaw reminded himself that she was a tad bit sensitive of the kittypets due to her heritage. He stifled a sigh and moved on without further comment.

Soon the long row of Twolegpalce houses came to a stop and instead gave way to a large, wire fenced area.

"Oh, yuck!" Hawkpaw exclaimed, wrinkling his nose at the heaps of Twoleg litter behind the gate. "It _reeks_!"  
Tawnypelt grimaced. "It looks kind of like Carrionplace," she meowed darkly. "We hunt for rats there sometimes."

Crowpaw's eyes rounded. " _Rats_?"  
The ShadowClan cat nodded sharply. "Yes. And if you don't know how to kill them you must know how to run from them. Come on, we'll go around."  
"Maybe we can get a better idea of Twolegplace if we get on top of one of the Twoleg dens," Hawkpaw suggested. Crowpaw turned to him, eyes wide.

"You mean climb it?" Squirrelpaw echoed. Brambleclaw didn't know if she looked terrified or thrilled.

"Yeah." The RiverClan apprentice sat down on the fence and swept his tail over his paws. "We have three ThunderClan cats with us, and that's plenty of climbers. Maybe we can find a trail out of here if we look down from above."

Feathertail and Brambleclaw exchanged a glance. "That's… not a bad idea," Brambleclaw managed.

"I'll stay down here with the apprentices," Tawnypelt volunteered. Squirrelpaw bristled, and Brambleclaw wished Tawnypelt had kept her mouth shut.

"My assessment was sup _posed_ to be today," Squirrelpaw growled. "I'm as good as a warrior now anyway."

Tawnypelt looked to the other ThunderClan cats awkwardly. Feathertail shrugged. "Okay, Squirrelpaw," she said, narrowing her eyes mischievously, "if you can find a way up, you can look with us."  
"You're on!" Squirrelpaw insisted, breaking into a grin. She leapt from the fence with her fluffy tail spread out behind her and she bounded across the Twoleg lawn. Thankfully, this den did not have a flap - Brambleclaw learned that cats used this to get in and out of the den - so there was no kittypet around. Squirrelpaw crept around the side of the house before bunching up her haunches and leaping to a window. She peered inside.

"Squirrelpaw!" Brambleclaw hissed. "Be careful!"

His apprentice looked at him slyly but did not answer. Then she took a breathtaking leap from the window to the long white gutter. She scurried a little bit up, digging her claws into the metal, before reaching the roof's edge and hauling herself to the top. When she reached the top she stood, tail high and gave Brambleclaw the most _Squirrelpaw_ look she could.

"Well I'll be darned," Brambleclaw mused to Feathertail under his breath. "She made it."

"Easy!" Squirrelpaw chirped. Crowpaw unsheathed his claws and began tearing into the wood fence angrily, and Hawkpaw placed a paw in front of Crowpaw so that he would not maul the proud ThunderClan apprentice.

Brambleclaw nodded to Feathertail, and together, the two of them scurried across the garden and followed in Squirrelpaw's pawsteps: to the window, up the gutter, and on the roof Squirrelpaw was waiting proudly for them at the top.

"How'd I do?" she beamed, sitting down and wrapping her long tail around her paws. Brambleclaw gave her a playful cuff over the ears.

"You hardly need an assessment after that," he teased. Feathertail rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you two," she said with an edge to her voice that Brambleclaw didn't quite catch. "Come on, let's take a look."

Brambleclaw followed her wordlessly to the other side of the Twoleg den. He sucked in his breath as he overlooked the winding streets of Twolegplace as they were touched by the early rays of morning light. The sun was rising along the horizon, and Brambleclaw could see everything: if they went to the right - where they began their journey - they'd reach the Clans. If they went straight, they'd be lost in the endless maze of Twoleg homes. In they went backwards, they'd reach Highstones. And if they kept goigng the way they were, across Twolegplace fences, they'd reach a large feild where little dots of white moves across a fenced area beside a large red barn. Past that was a large forest circled around a shimmering blue lake. Squirrelpaw sucked in her breath.

"Is that where we need to go?" she whispered. Brambleclaw nodded, and Feathertail answered her question.

"It seems so," the silver she-cat mused, "and it looks like we're headed in the right direction. Come on, let's tell the others."  
Brambleclaw followed Feathertail and Squirrelpaw down as they raced across the garden again. He barely found the energy to leap back up on the fence again and hop up beside Tawnypelt.

"What'd you find?" Hawkpaw asked excidedly.

"If we keep traveling the way we are, we're going to hit a lake and forest," Feathertail explained, nodding. "I think that's where we need to go. It's the only place past Highrocks that makes any sense."  
Tawnypelt frowned. "So we'll have to go through the Carrionplace," she said dejectedly, flicking her ear at the dump. Brambleclaw sighed.

"From the looks of it, yes," he said. "Either that or we take a long tour around Twolegplace."

"I say that so long as we avoid the rats, we'll be fine," Crowpaw suggested loudly.

"Easy for _you_ to say," Feathertail muttered, flicking his ear with her tail. "WindClan cat."

Crowpaw huffed, but for once, his eyes gleamed with… _amusement_. Brambleclaw could hardly believe his eyes. _Has Feathertail cracked his stubborn shell?_

"Come on," said Tawnypelt. The fence ended, and she leapt down gracefully. The stink of Carrionplace was even worse, and Brambleclaw held his breath and unintentionally pressed close to Tawnypelt.

They were halfway through. They cats had fallen into a close, single-file line as they stayed strictly between the empty Thunderpath and the smelly, shiny black bags. They passed a large green bin, which seemed to eat all the Twoleg rubbish, when Squirrelpaw tensed.

"What's that?" she whispered, nudging Brambleclaw's flank with her head. "It is a rat?"  
Brambleclaw followed her gaze and stiffened. A large, brown and gray figure was in the middle of the dump, looking flea-ridden and tired.

"That's too big to be a rat," Hawkpaw put in.

"That's a cat!" Tawnypelt exclaimed. "Keep walking. He might be dead and he looks infested."

"Eh?" a matted brown head rose at the voices. Brambleclaw froze.

"Keep walking," Crowpaw muttered, staring straight ahead. "It's a rogue."  
"What bring a group o' traveling cats like you t' these parts?" the old tom went on, using a very loud voice to speak.

"What do we do?" Hawkpaw hissed, blue eyes wide.

"If we don't answer he'll talk louder and wake the rats," Feathertail pointed out in a whisper. Tawnypelt sighed deeply.

"Walk faster," she huffed.

"Hey, I'm the deaf one here!" the tom went on, raising his voice to prove his point. He broke off in a raspy chuckle and Brambleclaw wanted to tear his ears off. He felt Squirrelpaw bristle beside him, and a small part of him wanted her to go off on the old tom. "Young'uns don't respect their elders these days, do they, eh?" with that, he turned towards them and drew a tabby paw over his ear.

Finally Squirrelpaw had enough. Brambleclaw smirked. _She's not used to respecting elders, especially after how they talk about her._

"We respect them," she hissed, fur fluffing up. "We just don't talk when there are sleeping _rats_ around!"  
Tawnypelt whirled around to snap a warning at Squirrelpaw, but the tom didn't seem fazed as he began to clean a paw.

"Rats only come out at night," the old tom said matter-of-factly. "You must be lost from your Upwalkers. Tell you what, I got nothin' to do so I'll help you find 'em."  
"My Upwal... _what_?" Squirrepaw hissed. Tawnypelt stepped in front of her, sensing the oncoming fight.

"We don't need any help, thanks," she said dismissively.

"Purdy," the tom added, even though it was apparent she didn't want his name.

"Right," Tawnypelt said quickly. "Anyway, Purdy, it was nice meeting you, but we really have to be on our way. And Squirrelpaw's right; the rats could still wake up."

"Squirrel-paw?" Purdy echoed. "What kind o' name is that?"

"A better one than Purdy!" Squirrelpaw snapped. Brambleclaw heaved a long sigh. "Seriously, you're judging _my_ name? You live in a dump and judge cats that don't even live in this dumb Twolegplace! StarClan, _how stupid are you_?"

A silence followed. Brambleclaw snuck a glance at Purdy, but to his relief, the old tom didn't seem to be offended in the slightest. It was as though he got screamed at by Squirrelpaw on a daily basis. _Like me_ , thought Brambleclaw sourly.

But before Purdy could reply, a rustling came from behind him. Feathertail's eyes widened.

"Purdy! Squirrelpaw!" she screeched, fur on end. " _Look out_!"

That was enough to make Squirrelpaw curious enough to turn her head. Crowpaw shrieked and Hawkpaw dove for cover as a tiny army of lithe, squirming rat bodies slithered out from under the trash and launched themselves at the cats.

The first one hit Tawnypelt, who was unprepared for attack. She fell backward, and immediately Brambleclaw jumped to help her. He aimed for the large, mouse-like creature that dug into her shoulder and snapped its spine, tossing it away from her. Tawnypelt blinked up at him gratefully before leaping to her paws and standing with him, back to back. Brambleclaw swung out his paws at every tiny critter that lunged at him wildly, sending them flying. Despite Tawnypelt's oozing shoulder, the siblings were fighting together again, like they hadn't done since they were apprentices.

Meanwhile, Hawkpaw and Squirrelpaw had teamed up to drive off the rats. Purdy was near them, holding his own but using Hawkpaw's muscular body to his advantage by standing behind him. Crowpaw had flung himself in front of Feathertail immediately, and for some reason the silver she-cat seemed pleased rather than annoyed.

"They're starting to back off!" Hawkpaw hollered. "Just hold your ground for a little longer!"  
Brambleclaw listened to the RiverClan cat, swiping his massive paws at a smaller rat and sending it flying into a pile of garbage. he heard a snap as Tawnypelt snapped the spine of another rat just as it went to bite her.

"They're leaving!" came Feathertail's triumphant call. Brableclaw looked up to see the swarm of black bodies begin to turn around and head back into the trash, some streaked with blood. He unsheathed his claws in satisfaction. Just as he turned to Tawnypelt to see if she was okay, another voice cut him off.

"Brambleclaw! Watch out!"

Brambleclaw didn't have the to react before Squirrelpaw flashed in front of him, beating a last-minute rat to his chest. She rolled over with the rat and snarled, digging her teeth into its throat. She tossed it aside roughly and glared at Brambleclaw.

"You almost died," she said flatly.

"I know. Thank you," Brambleclaw breathed, and he meant it. His heart was pounding fiercely against his chest as though the rat would have ripped it out provided Squirrelpaw didn't save him. Through her tough stature, he could almost see Squirrelpaw begin to smile.

"Speaking of saving, Crowpaw had this incredible move when this one huge rat almost bit me!" Feather tail said, blue eyes wide. She turned to the apprentice. "I can't thank you enough, really."

Crowpaw shrugged, through there was a shy grin below his icy gaze. "It was nothing."

"Is everyone alright?" Hawkpaw asked, padding towards the other cats. Purdy was behind him, tail high but head drooping. "I saw Tawnypelt get a nasty bite."

Brambleclaw turned to his sister, but she turned to the side, hiding her injured shoulder. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I'm fine."

"Burdock root works just swell for rat bites," Purdy said helpfully. "Or of course the Upwalkers, they've always got somethin' for bites."

"I'll stick with burdock, thanks," said Tawnypelt flatly. then she grew wistful. "Provided we find any, of course."

"Aw, Upwalkers aren't all bad," Purdy convinced her, not at all getting her point.

"Well, it's been great, but we've got to get going," Brambleclaw said dismissively. "We've got to find Sun-drown-place."

"The who what?"

"There's salty water there, and the sun melts there in the evening," Hawkpaw explained, blue eyes glowing in awe. "We think it means the lake outside Twolegplace." He pointed his tail right to prove his point.

Purdy's eyes widened in interest. "The lake?" he echoed. "Why, I've been there plenty o' times!"  
"You have?" Feathertail exclaimed.

"O' course!" Purdy replied with a rumbling purr. "I can help you get there, if you want."  
"Thanks, but we don't need help," said Crowpaw rather rudely. "it's not even that far away."  
Purdy's eyes rounded. "It's a few days' journey from here," he said thoughtfully. "And it's best you don't be messing' with any wild animals. Maybe it's best I lead the way."

Despite Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw's alarmed arguing, Purdy rose to his paws.

"Follow me!" he hollered. "To Sunset Place!"

Brambleclaw trudged along, too tired to correct him.

"Does he know where he's going?" Tawnypelt whispered. Brambleclaw shrugged.

"No idea."

* * *

Evening fell on the traveling cats. Purdy had co-lead; mostly it was Brambleclaw taking the lead after Tawnypelt's injured shoulder. The cats had stopped and hunted midday after their traveling herbs finally wore off, and Purdy finally became helpful as he gave them spots to easily find and catch mice. They had finally ended their trail of Twolegplace and had reached long open fields, where large barn creatures roamed in the distance.

"Now those, those are called horses," Purdy explained to Hawkpaw, though everyone could hear him very clearly. Hawkpaw was the only one that (pretended to) listen, while Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw both threw tantrums overtime he opened his mouth. Honestly, it shocked Brambleclaw that Hawkpaw was almost the youngest cat on the journey. "You gotta keep an eye out for 'em, though. They're huge, and they run like all of the cats in the world are chasing 'em if they're spooked. The black an' white ones, those are cows. They don't do harm unless you _really_ aggravate 'em."

"What about those?" Hawkpaw asked, squinting and nodding at the smaller animals that resembled clouds. "Do they do anything?"  
Purdy chuckled. "Naw. Sheep don't do much of anything 'sept feel soft. Avoid the hoofs, though."  
Hawkpaw nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks. I'll look out for those." Purdy nodded in satisfaction.

"We're going to have to call it a night soon," Brambleclaw commented, glancing up at the sky. As he spoke, Crowpaw yawned. "We've been traveling all night. We need rest."

"That's a good idea," Tawnypelt murmured groggily, looking ready to sleep on the spot. Noticing Brambleclaw's worried look, she added, "Don't worry about me. I'll find burdock root in the morning."

"Should we find moss?" Hawkpaw piped up.

"That's gonna take _so_ long," Crowpaw replied. "And I'm going to collapse; I'm so tired!"

"We can just use leaves," Feathertail murmured, brushing by Crowpaw's pelt. "Those aren't so bad."

"Purdy, would you mind staying watch for a few hours?" Brambleclaw asked, giving the dark brown tabby a sidelong glance. "We've been traveling a long time. You can wake one of us once you get tired."

"O' course I will!" the old tom exclaimed, looking pleased to have a role. To prove his point he sat down and bulged his chest, ready to protect the soon-sleeping cats.

"That's great, but we need to find a spot first," Squirrelpaw muttered.

"There's a cluster of oaks there, close to the sheep," Hawkpaw suggested.

"Ooh, there's a creek right by there, too!" Feathertail squealed. "I'm dying of thirst!"

"Oaks it is," Brambleclaw said, and Squirrelpaw gave a half-hearted meow of agreement.

The cats trudged over, and Brambleclaw collapsed the minute he reached the shade of the oak trees. He ignored the barn-smell of the sheep and fell straight asleep, so fast he didn't even realize Squirrelpaw sleeping right next to him.

* * *

 **Okay, Purdy isn't gray? I wrote half the chapter (not to mention thinking the last three years) where he was a (light) gray tom. I have no idea where I got that idea but when I checked Warriors Wiki he's a dark brown tabby and it's so weird to me. I also realized I gave him more of a Southern accent instead of a heavy English one, which he has canonically. I fixed it the best I could.**

 **So obviously the journey isn't taking that long, and they'll be on their way back next chapter (it's in Bramble's POV again). This only takes a few days in this because I need to speed things up for the sake of time management, which is why I cut Purdy getting hopelessly lost (makes me sad, it's one of my favorite scenes. :(). Anyway, the journey is obviously much, much different but hopefully once it's over i can get on to the actual evil/good switch of the plot. Getting from point A to point B mostly. :)**

 **FINALLY, this is probably my last update before the holidays, so merry Christmas or happy holidays to all! :D As always please review, you all always bring a smile to my face!**


	8. Chapter 7

**hayjay5304: me too!**

 **snowcrystal of thunderclan: :D**

 **Mongoosefox: whew, that's relieving to hear. I had to catch myself from calling him gray again this chapter lol, and I'm glad everyone seems to like Hawkpaw!**

 **To clear up about who knows about Hawkfrost and Mothwing's heritage right now: Tigerstar knows there's a _chance_ he has kits but doesn't know who or where they are, Hawkpaw and Mothpaw both know that Tigerstar is their father but they keep it a secret, Sasha obviously knows, and Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt have no idea they have half-siblings. :D **

* * *

Brambleclaw awoke in the early hours of the morning. Squirrelpaw was across from him, fluffy tail tucked over her nose, and Tawnypelt's back was on his, rising and falling rhythmically. Brambleclaw saw Feathertail and Crowpaw sleeping oddly close, right beside the trunk of the ancient oak, and Purdy was snoring, head down. Brambleclaw stifled a grin. _So much for our lookout._

Brambleclaw rubbed a paw at his muzzle before arching his back in a stretch. He could see a lone figure down by the creek, and he recognized Hawkpaw's huge shoulders immediately. Brambleclaw padded down to the brook quietly, and Hawkpaw flicked an ear in acknowledgement as the ThunderClan cat sat down beside him.

"Did Purdy wake you up to be on watch?" he asked the apprentice nonchalantly. Hawkpaw did not move his gaze from the glimmering waters.

"Nah. I just woke up, and he was fast asleep," he explained with a chuckle in his voice. "I just like to wake up early and fish."  
"Is there anything to catch here?" Brambleclaw asked doubtfully. The creek wasn't very wide, and although it was clear, he could only see a few minnows shimmering silver under the waters.

"It's not deep enough for big fish," Hawkpaw explained, shaking his head, "but you can make a meal that'll do just enough out of these." With that, his paw flashed out, unsheathed, catching Brambleclaw by surprise. The RiverClan cat shot his paw under the water and out again, resulting in a small splash at Brambleclaw.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, whiskers twitching in amusement. Hawkpaw laughed lightly.

"Sorry," he replied honestly. "Didn't mean to splash you." With that, he picked up the other thing he had dropped - a small silver minnow - and bit into it hungrily. "Want some?" he asked, looking up at Brambleclaw with his mouth full. Brambleclaw made a disgusted face.

"I'll pass," he meowed quickly. Looking at Hawkpaw, he added, "You must be starving. You hardly ate any of the mouse we caught last night."

Hawkpaw shrugged. "I guess I can't be picky, but fur and whiskers are _yeck_!" with that, he made a disgusted face before getting back to his fish. Brambleclaw found himself looking wistfully past the creek, past the sheep and into the not-so distant forest.

"What do you think we do when we find sun-drown-place and figure out the prophecy?" he murmured. Hawkpaw looked at him.

"I dunno. Probably get the message and report it back to our Clans," he guessed. Brambleclaw sighed and shifted his paws.

"But I think…" he shook out his coat worriedly. "If StarClan wanted to, they could just tell us why we're going to sundrown place. In fact, I bet they could just tell our leaders at the Moonstone about this oncoming danger, whatever that may be. And yet, they choose five cats - two of which are apprentices - to make some journey to discover it ourselves."

"You think it might be something bigger," Hawkpaw realized softly. Brambleclaw nodded sharply.

"I'm glad I got chosen," Brambleclaw admitted. "Sure, sometimes I'd rather rip my fur off than listen to Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw fight all the time, but it gives me time away from my Clan. I think we all need time to ourselves sometimes."

Hawkpaw's eyes widened. "But your father is Tigerstar!" he breathed. "Doesn't everyone in ThunderClan respect you?"

Brambleclaw sighed, glancing back at the bodies of Feathertail and Squirrelpaw. "Most of them do. Tigerstar's kind of - well, not overprotective, but he's more strict than he was when I was younger."

Hawkpaw shuffled closer to him. "What does that mean?"  
"I mean, I don't care about it that much," Brambleclaw said quickly. "After losing my mother and after Tawnypelt went to ShadowClan, I'm really all he has left. It makes sense that he cates about me."

Hawkpaw looked back the running stream for a long, thoughtful moment. "Yeah," he said finally. "Hey, I think the other cats are starting to wake up. We need to start traveling again soon."

Brambleclaw nodded. "Right."

* * *

The cats spent the whole day traveling again. Seeing so many farm animals made Brambleclaw want to go back to Twolegplace. _At least I could see my home from there,_ he thought wistfully. All that remained of home now was the top of the mountains and Highstones beyond them, which traveled alongside the cats through their journey.

They passed the sheep with ease (though Feathertail had seemed particularly spooked by the large, cloud-like animals) and they even managed to sneak past the horses, despite the fact that Squirrelpaw nearly got trampled and Brambleclaw had to save her. She didn't say it out loud, but she appreciated it.

Finally the traveling cats left the barn-smells and farm animals far behind them. Dusk was falling, and Brambleclaw felt himself dragging his paws along.

"Should we get to bed soon?" Tawnypelt suggested, curling her tongue in a yawn. She was limping now, and Brambleclaw was strongly worried about her shoulder.

Feathertail shook her head. "No, look, we're almost in the forest. Once we get past this lake, we'll find midnight and sun-drown-place! Right?"  
Hawkpaw and Squirrelpaw began to mutter, but Crowpaw threw in a hearty "of course!" which just confused Brambleclaw althemore. _He's a completely different cat when he's around Feathertail!_

"We'll get as far as we can," Brambleclaw decided, padding to the front (Squirrelpaw had decided to lead). "If we can find whatever 'midnight' is before we're all too tired to walk, then we can find a place."  
The cats seemed too tired to argue, so they merely nodded. The cats traveled onward, and the forest gave way to a thick green woods. Birds chirped high above Brambleclaw's head as he traversed through a peaceful forest, untouched by any cats before.

"Whoa," Squirrelpaw breathed, pulling up beside him. "This place is amazing!"

"If you're a ThunderClan cat," Crowpaw argued. Squirrelpaw shot him a look, but Brambleclaw gave her a warning nudge that convinced her to swing her head around and not even look at the gray apprentice.

Suddenly Tawnypelt gasped. Brambleclaw jerked his head up, but they were in no danger. Instead, the lush forest came to a slow end as it faded into a thick, dark pine woods. The ground below them was uncomfortably wet. "It's beautiful," Tawnypelt breathed.

"I don't like it," Feathertail muttered, glancing at the treetops uncertainly. "It's kind of scary."

"Scary is just what ShadowClan likes!" Tawnypelt teased, turning around and falling into a crouch. Her fangs bared but she also held a smile, and she turned and jumped at Feathertail. The silver tabby shrieked with delight and fell over, Tawnypelt rolling over top of her. Crowpaw rolled his eyes and Hawkpaw and Brambleclaw exchanged an amused glance as the old friends giggled and fake-fought.

Then the laughter came to an abrupt end as Tawnypelt cried out. Feathertail scrambled back, ears flat and blue eyes round.

"Tawnypelt, I'm so sorry!" Feathertail gasped, nosing the ShadowClan cat to her paws. "Where did I hit you?" Hawkpaw rushed up to her to help her up from the side.

"Yeah, are you okay?" he prestered.

"I'm fine," Tawnypelt grunted, shaking off her pelt in embarrassment. "You did nothing. My shoulder just hit the ground and-"

"That's it," Brambleclaw growled. "We need to find burdock root."

"If anything, it'd be towards the end of the forest," Purdy pointed out. Brambleclaw jumped, nearly forgetting the old brown tom was there.

"Thanks, Purdy," Tawnypelt meowed. Facing Brambleclaw, she added, "you heard the tom. It's at the end of the forest, right en route."

Brambleclaw grumbled. The cats continued on.

...

The pine forest eventually began to lighten out. Brambleclaw could hear the faint running of water as they reached a clearing.

Brambleclaw inhaled deeply as the cats scurried out, finally free from the dark marsh. From the looks of it, they were on a cliff, overlooking a huge body of water that stretched on for miles.

"Whoa," Feathertail breathed, scuttling past Brambleclaw to the tip of the cliff. The rest of the cats followed her and looked down. The cliff didn't have a far drop at all, though the roaring water kind of terrified Brambleclaw.

"It's beautiful," Tawnypelt murmured.

"And look!" Hawkpaw explained, flicking an ear at the setting sun eagerly. "The sun is drowning! We made it to sun-drown-place!"  
Brambleclaw felt his heart pound against his chest. "We made it," he breathed. Turning to Feathertail and Squirrelpaw, he added excitedly. "Wait 'til I tell Tigerstar. He'll be so proud that we made it here."

Both Squirrelpaw and Feathertail grinned. "Making your father proud, eh?" Squirrelpaw said cheekily, though she was beaming. "That's a first." Brambleclaw was about to reply was sarcasm when another voice beat him.

"Because you would know what _that_ feels like," Crowpaw spat dryly. Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw both whirled around.

"What did you say?" Squirrelpaw growled, as if daring Crowpaw to repeat what he said. The WindClan tom rounded his blue eyes innocently. "Oh I'm sorry, I just think it's weird that you're making fun of Brambleclaw's father when yours was a kittypet on a murder rampage."  
"She was teasing," Brambleclaw defended his apprentice, sweeping his tail in front of her to stop her. Squirrelpaw ignored him and stomped past until she and Crowpaw were nose and nose.

"First of all, lighten up and take a joke," Squirrelpaw spat. "Second, what my father did is none of your business. I have nothing to do with him and neither do you, so Drop. It." Her last words were a command. Brambleclaw internally begged Crowpaw not to respond, but when the WindClan tom opened his mouth, it shocked him.

"Actually, it _is_ my business," he growled, voice growing eerily deep. His head dropped, but he still held his blue glare on Squirrelpaw. "When Firestar decided to start a battle - when he decided that he wanted to kill just to be leader - he made an impact that caused some cats more grief than imaginable."  
Squirrelpaw held her stare but suddenly looked confused. "What does that mean?"  
"It means that because of you, because of your father, my mother came home from that battle without a mate," Crowpaw whispered. His voice began to tremble. "I woke up the next morning without a father. His name was Deadfoot. He was WindClan's deputy. Does Firestar even remember him?"

Squirrelpaw's mouth parted slightly, but Crowpaw wasn't done. Now his voice was stronger, and there was venom in every word he spoke. " _No_. Firestar didn't care who he killed or whose lives he impacted. He killed Deadfoot and left a kit fatherless."

Squirrelpaw stared at him evenly. "Firestar didn't kill your father," she growled.

Crowpaw lashed his tail. "You don't understand!" he snapped. "By starting that battle with IceClan and FireClan, he killed every cat involved that died. If he just stayed in his Twoleg house and never looked twice at the forest, I would have a family!"

"I understand that," Squirrelpaw replied, "but you can't blame _me_. I'm... I'm not my father."

Her words stung Brambleclaw. Ever since he had told her about her father, she had tried again and again to prove herself to ThunderClan, and all they saw was Firestar, no matter how great of a hunter or fighter she was. And now all the worthlessness was rushing back to her, thanks to Crowpaw.

Crowpaw laughed, but it sounded forced and bitter. "There's no one else to blame, you obnoxious piece of-"  
Brambleclaw did not hear the rest of Crowpaw's sentence (and he was kind of glad he didn't) because Squirrelpaw had obviously had enough. She let on a ghostly screech before launching herself at him. Crowpaw fell backwards, and in a horrible moment all the cats realized that Squirrelpaw had unsheathed her claws.

"Squirrelpaw! Stop it!" Brambleclaw bellowed, bounding towards the screeching apprentices. Feathertail was in hot pursuit, screaming at Crowpaw to get away.

But Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw did not listen. There was so much hate in their eyes that Brambleclaw could hardly believe they had only fought now on the journey.

"Crowpaw! Squirrelpaw! Watch out!" Hawkpaw screeched, making a daring leap at Squirrelpaw's tail. Brambleclaw nearly grabbed Squirrelpaw to haul her back, but in a quick moment, she jerked away from him. But instead of looking where she was going, she lost her footing off the cliff. Crowpaw screamed as Squirrelpaw grabbed his pelt, and together the two apprentices slipped and fell towards the waters below.

"Squirrelpaw!" Brambleclaw hollered, feeling panic rise up inside of him. Without thinking twice, he dove into the waters, resulting in a screech from Tawnypelt. Her wail was cut off as Brambleclaw hit the water and immediately regretted it.

Salty water filled his nose and mouth the moment he went under, and his pelt felt dragged down by the weight of the water. _The salty water! The dream! We're really in sun-drown-place!_ He could squint open to see Squirrelpaw's bright ginger paws treading water frantically as she struggled to keep her head up. Brambleclaw felt panic rise up in him as he realized that he, too, had no idea how to swim.

He began to move his paws, though it deemed too quick and ran out of energy rapidly. Brambleclaw's head emerged from the water quickly, and he uttered "Squirrelpaw!" before he was pulled back under. He kicked out and felt his hind paw hit something solid, but Brambleclaw could still not see Squirrelpaw. He reached his paw out under water and opened his eyes again, but he realized that the pelt he felt was not his apprentice's. He caught sight of brown tabby paws and white belly fur just as something clamped onto his neck and dragged him back sharply. Brambleclaw gagged for air, and he was struck with a sudden bitterness as his rescuer reached land and hauled him onto a beach. Hawkpaw peered down at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, completely drenched.

Brambleclaw rolled onto his belly and coughed up salt water, feeling the taste sting in his mouth. "I'm okay," he rasped. "Thank you."  
Just as he spoke, another cat emerged from the waters. Feathertail's head popped up, and Crowpaw was in her grasp, frantically trying to fight against the sea water. The gray cat scrambled far away from the water and pressed against a rock, back arched. Feather tail laughed lightly.

"I think sometimes cats forget I'm half-RiverClan!" she exclaimed.

"What about Squirrelpaw?" Brambleclaw whispered desperately. He tried to clamber to his paws, but the sand was wet and he collapsed.

"You managed to shover her ashore with your paw when you were treading," Feathertail explained. She shrugged. "Jumping in was stupid, but I guess you did help. She dragged herself out of the water, over there."

Brambleclaw followed her gesture to see the soggy figure of Squirrelpaw, lying limp on the beach. He dragged himself over as fast as he could, and the dying sunlight lit up her damp pelt like a flame.

"Squirrelpaw," Brambleclaw rasped, nudging his apprentice with a forepaw. "Are you okay?"

No response. Brambleclaw felt his heart begin to beat more frantically and his nudges harsher. Feather tail and Hawkpaw trotted over to him curiously. "Squirrelpaw? Squirrelpaw!"

"Is everyone okay?" Tawnypelt's voice rang out from the top of the cliff. She scrambled down with Purdy at her heels.

"Squirrelpaw isn't moving," Feathertail meowed in frustration, lashing her tail.

"She got herself out of the water, didn't she?" Brambleclaw growled, whipping his head around to glare at Hawkpaw and Feathertail. "She should be fine!"

"With all due respect, Brambleclaw," Hawkpaw said softly, "if you hadn't gone in after her, Feathertail and I could have gotten her ourselves."

Brambleclaw's heart shattered. "I was trying to help," he whispered, voice breaking.

Crowpaw peered over Feathertail's shoulder, suddenly cowardly. "Is she... is she dead?" he whispered.

"Not dead. Not her time today."

At first Brambleclaw thought that Tawnypelt had spoke, but instead this voice was tough and accented, and it was female. Brambleclaw felt every cat grow silent as they slowly turned their heads towards a hollow space under the cliff, one that they had not even noticed before. It was a den, and there were two beady black eyes greeting the cats. One by one, they began to bristle as the one who spoke emerged, and Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws as he recognized the black and white face.

"Badger!" Tawnypelt whispered, fluffing up her tail. "Everyone, stay calm. We're not strong enough to fight so on my signal, _run_."  
"No! No running. We talk today," the voice said again, and this time Brambleclaw realized that it was coming from the badger.

"Can the badger talk or am I going crazy?" Hawkpaw muttered around his teeth.

Suddenly the badger began to chortle in amusement, and Brambleclaw forced his fur flat. Even if this badger was friendly - which, after Willowpelt and Sootpaw's violet, badger-related deaths, was not convincing him - she looked old. No badger with broken yellow teeth and worn, overgrown claws dared take on so many cats.

"Fear not, young one," the badger replied softly, lumbering towards Hawkpaw. "All of you can hear me. And if you let me I can save two of your friends."

"You are not touching anyone," Crowpaw snapped, standing in front of the badger with his soaked head held high. "I'm not taking orders from a beast!"  
"Crowpaw!" Tawnypelt snapped, flashing a worried gaze at the badger. Instead, she chuckled.

"StarClan chose wisely, eh?" she rumbled, ignoring Crowpaw and hobbling towards Squirrelpaw's still body. "Feisty one. And I am no beast, you say. My name is Midnight."

"What are you doing?" Purdy demanded.

"How do you know about StarClan?" Crowpaw demanded.

Midnight ignored them and gently began to knead Squirrelpaw's stomach with her massive paws. Then she gently tilted her head back with one long claw, and the smallest bit of water dribbled from Squirrelpaw's open mouth.

"There you go," Midnight cooed. Suddenly, to Brambleclaw's surprise, Squirrelpaw's eyes scrunched and she began to cough up the water violently. Then her emerald eyes fluttered open and she gazed around in a daze.

"You saved her!" Feathertail gasped. Brambleclaw was at loss for words and rushed up to his apprentice. He felt a desire to press his muzzle into her side and thank StarClan that she was not dead because of him, but she was staring at Midnight in confusion.

Midnight smirked. "I am one of many talents," she said quite proudly. "Now come, tortoiseshell friend. Root of burdock for rat bites, I have it."

Tawnypelt's head raised, eyes wide. Purdy beamed. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. Midnight vanished into her den for a long moment.

"The badger," Feathertail whispered. "It's _talking_ to us."

"To fox and rabbits, I also talk," came Midnight's muffled voice.

"You guys," Hawkpaw said excitedly. "Don't you get it? Her name is Midnight. And we're supposed to go where midnight tells us!"

Tawnypelt gasped. "Midnight isn't a time of day," she realized. "It's a badger!"

"Clever she-cat," Midnight rumbled, emerging from her den with burdock root in her huge jaws. "For you," she said, dropping the herb at Tawnypelt's paws.

"So you know about our prophecy?" Brambleclaw asked, tipping his head to the side. Midnight nodded.

"Yes. I have known for a very long time. And now that StarClan has sent you to me, you must listen." The cats leaned in, even Crowpaw and Purdy, with their ears pricked. Midnight took in a rattling breath. "Darkness, Air, Water and Sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before."  
Brambleclaw felt his heart drop.

"We already knew that," Hawkpaw pointed out modestly. Midnight held up a paw to stop him.

"This I know," she rumbled wisely. "But now you will discover the meaning." Her beady black eyes flashed in excitement. "It is time for the Clans to relocate. While you took this journey, the Twolegs have begun destruction of the forest. You travelers will take the Clans to their new home - this forest."

"The forest will be destroyed?" Squirrelpaw whispered bleakly, glancing around. "And we have to live _here_?" Midnight nodded.

"It was etched in the Clans' destiny, many moons ago," she explained. "There is moor, forest, marsh, and riverbeds. This was no random choice."

"That's why there's at least one cat from each Clan," Tawnypelt realized aloud. "Because we - darkness, air, water, and sky - have to become one to take this journey together."  
"And we'll make this journey again," Brambleclaw added excitedly, "when the Clans have to leave. We must unite them as well."

Midnight nodded. "it is up to you cats to help them along this journey. Now that you have come together, you must also unite them."  
Brambleclaw looked at Feathertail.

"We can do it, I think," Hawkpaw meowed. Midnight looked at him intently.

"I know you can," she said. "But now it is time to sleep. You still have a long journey ahead of you."

* * *

Brambleclaw woke up late the next morning to the sounds of the murmuring river and the sunlight. The other cats were awake already, grooming each other and making small, polite morning talk. Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw were on opposite sides of the group, but they both seemed happy and laid-back. Brambleclaw smiled bittersweetly. _What will it be like when we have to go back to our own Clans?_ he wondered.

"We are all awake now, yes?" Midnight rumbled, emerging form the darkness of her den. "Come. I travel with you to the outskirts of the forest. Then I send you on your way."  
"What about food?" Crowpaw asked. "I'm starving!"  
"We hunt once we reach the end of the forest," Midnight said firmly. Purdy draped his tail over Crowpaw's back, and for some reason, Crowpaw didn't argue.

Midnight took them back through the pine-littered marsh, and Brambleclaw felt disgusted but at the same time intrigued, knowing that this was soon to be ShadowClan's territory.

"You tread a difficult path, do you not?" Brambleclaw was shocked as Midnight appeared next to him, speaking quietly.

Brambleclaw shrugged. "I guess so."  
Midnight tipped her head to the side. "Your father, he has a stranger side that the Clan doesn't see, only you. Your apprentice is the daughter of his worst enemy. You're hearing voices."  
Brambleclaw flushed, feeling shocked that she even knew about that. _The voice at Twolegplace that helped me save Hawkpaw_. "That was once," he muttered.

"Maybe then, but it will happen so many time that you will lose count," she explained darkly. Brambleclaw's whiskers drooped.

"Who is it?" he whispered. "Am I just going crazy?"

"Who, I do not know," Midnight said shaking her head. "But you are not crazy. I trust you will get past this, when the time comes."

"What does that mean?" Brambleclaw murmured. They had reached the end of the forest with the lake shimmering behind them, and the cats had broken off to hunt. Feathertail had gone with Crowpaw, obviously, and the two of them were giggling. Tawnypelt seemed irritated due to the burning in her shoulder, but she stayed focused as she slunk away to find prey.

"I cannot tell you." Midnight looked only ahead, and the wind rustled her black and white fur. "That is something you must discover in yourself, in your own time. Once you are faced with the ultimate decision of good and evil, I trust you will make the one your heart most strongly desires."

Brambleclaw did not reply and instead merely stared ahead, watching as Hawkpaw and Squirrelpaw worked together to hunt a mouse. Then he left Midnight without a word to hunt on his own.

...

A few minutes later, Brambleclaw was happily sharing a squirrel with Tawnypelt. He'd caught it but insisted they shared, which Tawnypelt grudgingly agreed to do.

"Are we almost ready to go?" Purdy asked, stretching his legs. "Twolegplace is a mighty large place to get through!"

"Only you will travel through Twolegplace," Midnight rumbled, padding up next to Purdy as the cats began to gather again. "These cats, they must go through the mountains to return home."

Purdy looked up at her worriedly, eyes drawn together. "But in the mountains there are-"

Crowpaw's fur spiked. "the mountains!" he interrupted. "Are you crazy?"

Midnight chortled lightly. "StarClan says 'go where Midnight tells you'," she recited. "And I'm telling you mountains. You will also travel there to come to the forest with the Clans. That many cats going through Twolegplace will never end well."

As much as he hated to admit it, Brambleclaw knew Midnight was right. Although he dreaded the mountains, Midnight was indeed telling them where to go.

"Purdy, your'e welcome to stay longer," Midnight said kindly, looking at the loner. "You cannot travel with them any further, I'm afraid."

Purdy looked crestfallen. "I hadn't even told Hawkpaw about the time that I took on two of them ferocious Twoleg dogs at once yet!" he exclaimed. Hawkpaw pressed up against him comfortingly.

"We'll meet again," he promised. "And you can tell me then, okay?"  
Purdy grinned. "Sounds okay."  
"Goodbye, Midnight and Purdy!" Feather tail called over her shoulder as the traveling cats began to depart through the meadow towards the mountains.

"Farewell, travelers!" Midnight echoed. "May StarClan be with you, always!"

She watched them until Brambleclaw could only see a speck of black and white against the lake. Then she disappeared, and Brambleclaw felt more lost than ever.

* * *

 **I think this is the longest chapter in Nightfall so far, it killed me to write. It was mostly a filler chapter too, with only Midnight and the reason why Crowpaw hates Squirrelpaw (kudos to walkswithwheels, who guessed Deadfoot's death).**

 **On a happier note, what did you guys get for Christmas?**


	9. Chapter 8

**First update of 2017! Yay!**

 **Snow crystal of thunderclan: I don't think you'll have to worry about Bumblestripe, he's far from a main character to turn evil (I guess Tigerheart, too). For the others... I can't promise anything. Any narrating or main characters in the main series are fair game for me.**

 **WyldClaw: yep!**

 **hayjay5304: nope, in this story and in the regular series sun-drown-place and the lake are different. The lake is saltwater and in the middle of the lake territories. Sun-drown-place is the ocean, hence the salty water and how the sun "drowns" (because the ocean seemingly goes on forever). In fact they are two different pages on Warriors Wiki, so if you want more you can check there. :)**

 **sierra (guest): thank**

* * *

"Where am I?"  
Leafpool's voice echoed around the clearing aimlessly. She emerged from a dark thicket just to find herself lost in a wide clearing, where the tangles branches finally gave way to a starless sky. Leafpaw blinked, and suddenly she understood.

She was dreaming.

Suddenly, the bushes opposite her rustled. Leafpaw tensed as a lithe tom sid out, eyes wide.

"Hey, no need to ruffle your fur," the tom exclaimed, blinking. His huge green eyes glowed compared to the rest of the clearing. Leafpaw watched in careful observation as the tom padded towards her quickly, head down. "After all, you and I know each other, very well."

Leafpaw forced a growl, but all four of her legs were trembling. "I don't know you."  
The tom sat down in front of her, and a sliver of silver light reached him and drew out the flame-colored pelt. He began to wash his whiskers nonchalantly.

"Ah, but I know you," the tom said matter-of-factly. "Leafpaw, I'm your father. I'm Firestar."  
Leafpaw's claws unsheathed, a rare occurrence as a medicine cat. "You did horrible things," she whispered, voice shaking. Firestar stared at her for a long moment, looking at her in almost pity.

"I know," he said softly. His eyes rounded and softened. "But how on earth could a cat be as insensible as I was and not regret it? I made terrible choices, Leafpaw. And that's why I'm visiting you."  
Leafpaw forced her fur flat. "I don't understand."  
Firestar took in a long breath and closed his eyes. "You see, the moment my lives were ripped away from me - by the cats you know and love in ThunderClan - I began to rethink my choices. Wondered if maybe, somehow, I could have redeemed myself. Tigerstar and I, we could have been the best of friends. We're a lot alike, you know."  
"Okay," Leafpaw said stiffly.

"And anyway, once I reached StarClan, I asked around how I'd be able to change myself," Firestar went on, shrugging and wrapping his long tail around his paws.

Leafpaw glanced around dubiously. "This is StarClan?"  
Firestar chuckled. "Yes, dear, but not the typical glimmering streams and such. A corner of StarClan, per say, where cats seeking redemption find themselves."

"So you're finding a way to redeem yourself to get into the good part of StarClan?" Leafpaw whispered, leaning in. "Why are you visiting me, then?"

"Well, in a nutshell yes, and I wanted the chance to meet my daughter," Firestar replied, sliding down onto his belly. Leafpaw opened her mouth, but Firestar held up a paw. "I know, I know. I tried talking to Squirrelpaw. Basically she told me to burn in a fire and never bother her ever again. But I understand. A lot of cats doubt me, coming back. Especially after what I did." At that, Firestar dropped his gaze and began to look especially interested in his paws.

Leafpaw tipped her head to the side and sat down next to her father. "You _did_ do horrible things," she whispered. "You killed so many cats. Tigerstar said that you were the most tyrannical cat the Clans have ever seen."

"I know that's what _Tigerstar_ says," Firestar said. A small bit of anger trickled into his tone. "But you, Leafpaw. You are my daughter, my kin. Do you think forgiveness is possible?"  
Leafpaw stiffened. Memories of Cinderpelt's secrets, Tigerstar's stares, and the elders' gossip flooded to her head once more. "The Clan doesn't seem to think so."

"That's not what I'm asking," Firestar said, looking up at Leafpaw with curiosity brimming in his emerald gaze. "I'm going to start with you, if Squirrelpaw won't listen. I can help you find a way to gain trust in your Clanmates, even Tigerstar and Cinderpelt's. And if the Clan refuses to trust my family, then so be it. We'll find a way around it."  
Leafpaw gave Firestar a sidelong glance. "I'm not killing anyone," she growled. "I'm not _you_."  
"Right." Firestar grinned. "It's a new me. And with that comes a new you. I want to help you, Leafpaw. Please."  
Leafpaw smiled slightly and tried her best to hide it. Did she trust Firestar? Not completely. Not after everything that had caused her and her family to be stepped on and belittled. But here he was, apparently seeking forgiveness from his old Clanmates.

Here he was, acting like a father.

Leafpaw had grown up without a father. She did not even remember Firestar before he died. She had no male authority in her life, minus Tigerstar, but he was the whole Clan's leader and definitely hated Firestar. So Firestar being a father - even if he was just talking to her - lifted her spirits the slightest.

"If you really want help, I can try," Leafpaw whispered. Firestar slowly broke into a grin with hope shining in his eyes. Then Leafpaw was thrown into complete blackness, and she jerked awake.

When Leafpaw awoke, there was a new voice in camp. It was midday, and Cinderpelt was nowhere to be seen. Leafpaw stirred as the events of the past few days caught up to her.

The Twolegs had knocked over more and more trees. ThunderClan's territory had remained untouched for the most part, but Leafpaw had heard from Barkface that WindClan's moor was being upturned by monsters. Prey was going missing, leaving the cats with small morsels. When they did make a big catch, Tigerstar threw it aside with the warning that it was contaminated by Twolegs or crowfood.

Leafpaw crawled out of the den, belly rumbling, and peeked around the corner. A throng of ThunderClan cats were stirring below the Highrock, fur raised. In the center was a proud-looking she-cat with her muzzle in the air. Beside her was a smaller, fluffier golden she-cat who looked like she wanted to burrow underground at the stares and whispers of the ThunderClan cat. Finally on the end were two toms, one gray and one brown. Leafpaw recognized all of them; Leopardstar, RiverClan's leader, Stonefur, her deputy, Mudfur, the medicine cat, and his apprentice Mothpaw.

"What are they doing here?" Leafpaw mused to herself. She padded towards the back of the crowd, and seeing Snowfoot's white pelt, she slid up next to him.

"What's going on?" she mouthed. Snowfoot studied her lips intently before drawing his eyebrows together and shrugging.

"Leopardstar," Tigerstar addressed coldly from the Highrock. He flicked his tail for silence, and ThunderClan obeyed grudgingly. "What brings you to ThunderClan territory?"  
Leopardstar fixated her golden gaze on the leader. "I was wondering if your Clan has been struck by the Twolegs at all, and if you plan on showing mercy to the other Clans."  
Murmurs followed her words. Tigerstar's ears flicked. "I have no business with the Twolegs," he rumbled. "They're away from us, and they'll leave soon enough."  
Leafpaw silently disagreed with him, and Snowfoot stared ahead blankly.

"Twolegs," Leafpaw mouthed silently to him. Snowfoot nodded grimly.

"You know me, Tigerstar," Leopardstar growled, almost in a plea. "I would never ask for help unless it was desperate. But our rivers are contaminated. We can hardly drink or hunt. WindClan's moors are almost gone. ShadowClan has seen their great pines fall and I fear you are next. I don't think the Twolegs are planning on leaving anytime soon."

"What are you proposing?" Tigerstar sighed, sitting down and wrapping his thick tail around his paws. Leopardstar jutted her chin.

"Can I talk to you?" she replied, glancing around at the ThunderClan cats worriedly. "Privately?"  
Tigerstar sighed deeply, but he rose to his paws, leapt down from Highrock, and ushered the RiverClan leader to his den. ThunderClan broke out in anxious chatter the minute the leaders departed. Leafpaw bid Snowfoot goodbye before weaving through the crowd, golden pelt within her reach.

"Hey, Mothpaw!" she exclaimed, giving her friend a welcoming lick on the ear as she approached. Mothpaw grinned, though her eyes betrayed how nervous she was among the ThunderClan cats. "How's RiverClan?'

Mothpaw shrugged. "We're alright. You heard Leopardstar."

Leafpaw glanced at her. "What do you think they're talking about?" she asked, flicking her ear at Tigerstar's den. Moth paw's eyes gleamed teasingly.

"She's trying to convince him to help RiverClan," she suggested. "They like each other, a lot."  
"They're great friends," Leafpaw observed. "I'm sure he didn't want to show that in front of ThunderClan."

A silence passed between them as Cinderpelt pulled Mudfur aside and Whitestorm hopped down from his ledge against the Highrock to greet Stonefur.

"I had a really weird dream last night," Leafpaw muttered, leaning in to Mothpaw's ear. Mothpaw looked at her, and her eyes rounded like she was both scared and interested.

"Did Cinderpelt and Mudfur get one too?" she rambled worriedly. "'Cause I didn't have a dream. Oh, StarClan, if I'm not a good medicine cat-"

Leafpaw shook her head quickly. "No, no not like a prophecy or omen dream," she explained hastily, glancing over at Cinderpelt. She remembered how the gray she-cat had seen the fire and tiger on the brambles, and shivered. _Mothpaw isn't the only medicne cat to feel left out_. "Anyway, in my dream I talked to my father, Firestar, in StarClan."

Mothpaw's eyes widened at the name. "Firestar?" she echoed. "What did he say? Did he threaten to kill you?"

"What? No!" Leafpaw's eyes squinted. "In fact, he was really nice. "It was so weird. He said he was looking for redemption and he wanted to help me."  
"Help you with what?" Mothpaw whispered, looking intrigued. Leafpaw sighed.

"The elders and older warriors are really… mean," she said lamely. "They think that just because Squirrelpaw and I are Firestar's kin, we'll end up just like him."

" _I_ don't think that," Mothpaw said defensively, pressing up against her friend comfortingly. "And besides, I don't think Firestar is a big deal. He's dead; he can't do anything. If he's in StarClan then surely he _actually_ wants forgiveness."

Leafpaw felt at ease. "That makes sense," she replied slowly. "But if a cat feels bad, but still killed so many cats, surely they wouldn't be in StarClan? Like, where do the bad cats go?"

Mothpaw shrugged. "Mudfur says they probably just disappear forever, as punishment."  
Leafpaw looked at her. "Maybe all cats go to StarClan if they believe," she suggested. "Like kittypets don't believe in StarClan, right? I've never seen a StarClan cat wearing a collar!"  
Mothpaw looked disgruntled at this and did not reply.

Suddenly angry and muffled voices broke out from the elder's den. Leafpaw turned her ear and Mothpaw gave her a concerned look.

"What's going on?" the golden she-cat asked in a whisper.

"I have no idea," Leafpaw murmured under her breath. She rose to her paws and began to pad over curiously when Dappletail erupted from the den and scurried away with a plump rabbit in her jaws.

"No, Dappletail!" Frostier cried, scurrying down after her. Her aching joints caught hold of her, and the white she-cat resorted to limping after her. "Don't eat that! It's gone bad!"  
"I don't care!" the tortoiseshell snarled. "We're all starving and you're all blind if you can't see that!"

"WindClan has lost cats from poisoned prey just a few days ago!" Speckletail added, emerging and looking quite calm. "Give me the rabbit so I can bury it."

"That's nonsense!" Dappletail snarled. She dropped the rabbit at her paws to speak. "What, just because WindClan is suffering, we have t-"

As she spoke, Brackenfur appeared from the side and swooped in, nabbing the rabbit from her paws and darting towards the center of camp. Leafpaw gave a silent thanks to the warrior as he placed the rabbit down beside Leafpaw and glared at the elder.

"Dappletail, you need to lie down and listen to Frostfur and Speckletail," Brackenfur commanded sternly. Just as the elder bared her teeth, Tigerstar and Leopardstar emerged from the den, eyes wide.

"What's going on?" Tigerstar demanded, trotting up beside Leafpaw.

"She's already eaten half of it!" Frostfur wailed from the elder's den. Dappletail snapped around her head to glare at the white she-cat.

"And I plan on not wasting the rest," she snapped.

"Dappletail ate half a contaminated rabbit," Brackenfur muttered to Tigerstar over Leafpaw's head. "I took it away. We need to bury it outside camp and get Dappletail herbs as soon as possible."

Tigerstar nodded. "Thank you, Brackenfur. Leafpaw, bury this outside camp. Cinderpelt," he added, finding the gray medicine cat's gaze. "Help Dappletail. She might be sick. Mudfur, you're welcome to help."

The medicine cats exchanged a stern look and disappeared into the medicine den. Dappletail hissed. "I'm fine!" she spluttered. Leafpaw had picked up the rabbit, curling her nose, and began to sneak out of camp with Mothpaw flanking her. Much to her dismay, Dappletail's glowering eyes landed on her.

"Hey!" the elder snarled. "Put that down!"

Leafpaw didn't have the chance to think before Dappletail bolted at her, eyes wild. Mothpaw shrieked but she was shoved away and Leafpaw felt the full impact of Dappletail's truly figure crush her to the ground. She could see hear Dappletail's stomach rumbled, but not in hunger. Leafpaw's eyes widened. _She's sick!_

"Give me that rabbit, you piece of crowfoot!" Dappletail snarled, eyes rolling as she wrestled Leafpaw for the rabbit. They rolled about the dusty ground, Leafpaw under the crushing weight and horrible stink of the elder.

"I'm not letting you kill yourself!" Leafpaw gasped. The rabbit left her jaws and Dappletail ripped it away, ripping into the flesh hungrily. Leafpaw leaned back, eyes wide, just as Dappletail's weight lifted. Leafpaw glanced up to see a dark brown pelt smash into Dappletail, rolling her away from the medicine cat. Tigerstar pinned down the elder, holding her head to the ground as Leafpaw shakily regained her posture. The rabbit tumbled away, and Dappletail unsheathed her claws and began to struggle from underneath Tigerstar.

"That's enough," the leader growled. "Dappletail, you cannot treat Leafpaw like that. If you eat that rabbit, it's going to kill you."  
Dappletail tried to reply, but it gave out as a gag. Tigerstar stepped away from her, amber eyes wide. Cinderpelt hobbled over with Mudfur, stems of unusual-looking plants in her jaws. She dropped them with a gasp as Dappletail stumbled away from Tigerstar, making belching sounds and leaning over though nothing came out.

"Dappletail!" Speckletail wailed, ears flat. Leafpaw rushed up to her, stomach churning with unease. Cinderpelt stopped her.

"I can help!" Leafpaw insisted, trying to reach the elder.

"You've done enough," Cinderpelt murmured, eyes glazing over. She reached Dappletail, who had fallen onto her belly and still making horrible noises. "I can try my best, but I don't think she'll make it. Take the rabbit outside camp and bury it, like Tigerstar told you."

Leafpaw stepped back numbly at Cinderpelt's rejection and headed towards the rabbit, or what was left of the matted fur and sparse bones. And as she headed off into the forest, Dappletail's wails rang out perfectly clear. She shivered.

 _Dappletail is dying._

Hunger had pushed the aging she-cat to her limits. Perhaps if Dappletail was not starving, she would not have insisted on eating the poisoned rabbit. As Leafpaw began to silently dig a hole, a realization brushed her mind.

 _We can't stay in this forest._

* * *

 **Mmkay, so for the record Firestar definitely did not talk to Squirrelpaw like he said he did. He's a liar (but we knew that already), poor Leafpaw. Also ThunderClan camp and the traveling cats are on a little different timeline, but when the cats return everything will be up to date.**


	10. Chapter 9

**wOW I am so sorry for the late update. Life got busy and tbh warriors is kind of starting to become less interesting for me. Anyhow onto the chapter..**

 **.52: all in good time, my friend... we shall see all in good time (I love your stories btw holy crap)**

 **WyldClaw: we'll see about that :)**

 **Pondfrost: I want you to think really hard... in the new prophecy... one of the most major villains in the series... got stabbed with a pole... *coughitsHawkfrostcough* thanks i** **guess? lol**

 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: surprisingly I don't hate Leafpool in this story. Yet.**

Brambleclaw stumbled forward with Squirrelpaw flanking him silently. The traveling cats had reached the mountains, just where Midnight had urged them, and Brambleclaw had to say, he didn't like it.

There were small flakes of snow drifting from the sky, which had turned to an ominous gray as the day wore on. Tawnypelt had taken the lead and used her nimble steps to check for any cracks in the stone ledge as they crossed to make sure none of the cats fell. Hawks had circled them for hours, which worried Brambleclaw immensely. Hawkpaw's optimism had fallen short as well as Crowpaw's scathing attitude, and now the black apprentice was flanking Feathertail.

"How long do you think these mountains stretch on?" Squirrelpaw muttered skeptically. Brambleclaw looked ahead grimly.

"I don't know, but I think we're headed in the right direction," he managed. He wanted so badly to just be home, after Midnight's ominous warning. Was the forest okay? Were Tigerstar and Leafpaw well? The thoughts strangled Brambleclaw's mind so much that he didn't even notice Crowpaw and Feathertail's heads together, bickering quietly.

"I don't know when he'll stop hating me," Squirrelpaw muttered. Brambleclaw gave her a sidelong glance before realizing that she was staring at Crowpaw, emerald eyes narrowed.

"Don't let it get to you," Brambleclaw comforted the best he could. "He's holding onto a grudge that has nothing to do with you."

Squirrelpaw looked up at him and blinked wearily. "You think so?"

"Hey, Brambleclaw! Got a minute?" Hawkpaw called before Brambleclaw could answer. Brambleclaw craned his head around to face the broad apprentice just as a shadow fell over the group. Tawnypelt shrieked, and Crowpaw dove in front of Feathertail. Brambleclaw turned around to feel a blast of wind as a glowing pair of talons met his face.

 _Hawk!_

Brambleclaw gasped and fell back as the hawk scored a large gash across his cheek. He felt himself stumble towards the edge of the mountain, but thankfully, Hawkpaw grabbed his scruff and yanked him away. Brambleclaw opened his eyes, ignoring the red haze that was beginning to cloud his vision, and realized that Hawkpaw had pulled him under a ledge.

"Are you okay?" Hawkpaw whispered. Brambleclaw looked at him as his breath tickled his ear.

"Fine, thanks for saving me. We need to get the others," Brambleclaw grunted. "They can't hold off that bird on their own." Hawkpaw looked at him and said nothing, but a new fear sparked in his round blue eyes.

"I can't," Hawkpaw whispered.

"If we leave them there now we blame ourselves when they die," Brambleclaw insisted, nosing the RiverClan tom to his paws. He lowered his head to see that the hawk was turned away from them, spitting and leading Feathertail towards a ledge. "On three, I take left wing and you take right. Pin it down, and Feathertail can take the killing bite. Can I trust you?"

There was a moment of silence. Hawkpaw took in a large breath before squeezing his eyes shut. "Yeah. Let's go."

Brambleclaw grinned. "Okay. One… two…"

He never made it to three. Instead, a gray cat streaked with brown erupted out of nowhere, giving a wail as it hit the side of the hawk. Another strange cat appeared, then a third, and before Brambleclaw knew it these three news cats were taking on an entire hawk themselves.

"Who are they?" Hawkpaw whispered, flicking his plumy tail in worry.

"No idea," Brambleclaw replied quietly. "Come on, let's help them. They can't take on a hawk themsel-"

Before he could finish, the largest cat in the group snapped the hawk's neck. The brown-feathered bird stopped struggling immediately and fell limp. Brambleclaw trotted out of the ledge, wide-eyed, just as Tawnypelt lifted her tense state.

"I stand corrected," Brambleclaw muttered to Hawkpaw.

"Put your fur down," said the cat that had killed the hawk, gruffly. He nodded at Crowpaw, who blatantly refused his request. Brambleclaw was not used to this cat's voice; it was thick and accented, and his pelt was smeared with… _mud?_

"We saved your tail, did we not?" said the only she-cat, a small brown and gray cat with the same foreign accent. "We mean no harm; the last thing we want right now is an attack."

"Where do you come from?" Tawnypelt asked bravely, raising her chin. The second tom met her gaze evenly, and his stumpy tail flicked as he spoke.

"We come from the Tribe of Rushing Water, but that is not where we currently reside," he said, almost a growl in his throat.

"That's irrelevant, Rock," the first large tom snapped, hitting Rock over the head with his tail.

"Is there anywhere we can seek shelter?" Brambleclaw asked, stepping towards the body of the hawk. The large tom turned to face him, and Brambleclaw was taken aback by the large, ugly scar that crossed his face.

"Of course," he rumbled. "Come. We need no more hawk attacks. After all, I was named after one." He flicked an ear to motion at his face, almost daring the Clan cats to look at it.

"Where are we going?" Feathertail quipped, following the cats. The she-cat had picked up the hawk and began to drag it with incredible strength, and Hawkpaw had skipped ahead to help her.

"Home," Rock said, though there was an emptiness to his voice that told Brambleclaw otherwise.

"Good thing we found this for dinner when we did," the she-cat meowed playfully around a mouthful of feathers as the cats took a detour in a crevice in the mountain.

"We live back here, in exile," the scarred tom said darkly. "It's not much, but it is all we need."

"In exile?" Squirrelpaw echoed, pressing closer to Brambleclaw.

"How rude of me, telling you our story without introducing us," the tom meowed to Squirrelpaw. "I am Talon of Swooping Eagle, this is Bird that Rides the Wind, and Rock Beneath Still Water."

"That's a mouthful," Crowpaw muttered, and Feathertail his him teasingly with her paw.

"You may call me Bird, and them Talon and Rock," Bird suggested, a twinkle in her eye. She set down the dead bird in the center of the cavern, and Brambleclaw squeezed in between Squirrelpaw and Tawnypelt. He eyed the sad-looking fur nests and realized these cats were not living well.

"We don't get many strange visitors like yourself," Rock commented from his new spot beside the hawk's head. His head was lowered in curiosity. "Where do you come from?"  
"We come from the forest beyond the mountains," Hawkpaw explained, tipping his head towards the cave exit. "We're headed home, actually."  
"Through these parts?" Talon's whiskers twitched in surprise.

"We were told to," Hawkpaw explained, just as Feathertail gave him a warning glare. "By, uh, a friend."

"Huh." Talon mused, flicking his tail. "You must be thinking why three cats such as ourselves are living like this. Well." He flexed his claws, eager to tell his tale. "Bird, Rock, and I all come from the Tribe of Rushing Water. We live past a waterfall not far from here." he gestured outside, wistfulness in his eyes.

"For ages, a large cat we call Sharptooth has terrorized out tribe. He takes and kills our cats. At first it was purely survival, but now he does it for sport," Rock explained darkly.

"Did you move out of fear of Sharptooth?" Feathertail asked, looking rather worried.

Bird shook her head. "The six of us were chosen to hunt down and kill Sharptooth or be exiled from the tribe."  
"I guess you can tell by now that we have failed," Talon added solemnly. "The other three of us died trying. Now it is just us."

Brambleclaw's gut began to churn with anxiety. And suddenly, out of nowhere, it came back.

 _You must help them._

"No," Brambleclaw practically mouthed as Rock began a discussion with Crowpaw. "We don't know these cats. We have to keep moving."

Squirrelpaw looked at Brambleclaw questioningly. "Are you talking to yourself?" she whispered. Brambleclaw shook his head and ignored his flushed fur.

 _Don't be foolish!_ The voice snapped. _These cats are helpless. Don't you want to be welcomed home a hero? Besides, you will need their help once you make this journey a second time._

"Right," Brambleclaw muttered, nearly forgetting that he was to take all four Clans on a journey back to the forest. These Tribe cats would shelter them if they killed Sharptooth, surely?

 _Good, very good!_ The voice praised. _I knew you'd catch on soon enough. Now listen to me, I know how to kill this lion._

"I have an idea," Brambleclaw blurted. All the cats looked at him, but he felt the voice in his head alongside his own as he spoke. "There's an easy way to kill Sharptooth. Have you considered poisoning a bait?"  
The three tribe cats glanced at each other.

"We just took him head on," Bird said, shrugging. "But go on."

"Well, if we poisoned a part of this hawk with some sort of… of deathberry," Brambleclaw went on, speaking faster as he grew confident, "and left it out, Sharptooth would eat it, right? That way no one gets hurt and he drops dead like that."

To emphasize his point, Brambleclaw slammed an unsheathed paw onto the ground. _Very good_ , the voice mused. The cats went silent, staring at Brambleclaw for an eternity.  
Talon slowly broke into a grin.

"I like that," he meowed finally.

* * *

"Stoneteller!"

Brambleclaw peeked around the edge of the waterfall. He, along with his traveling companions, had followed Talon back to his tribe - the Tribe of Rushing Water. Immediately a large tom appeared, eyes wide.

"Talon of Swooping Eagle!" he exclaimed. The charming air of the tribe had dulled to silence, and Brambleclaw stepped back as he felt every stare land on his pelt. The leader, or as Talon called him, Stoneteller, narrowed his eyes. "I thought we forbid you re entry to this tribe."

"I know that," Talon panted, ears flattening. "But we have met these traveling cats. They have an idea on how to kill Sharptooth."

Murmurs broke out among the cats of the waterfall. Stoneteller flicked his ear.

"We need no more help," he growled. "Since you've been gone we've lost two more cats. We are dwindling, Talon."

"We want to help!" Feathertail blurted suddenly. Stoneteller's eyes slitted.

"Why would these cats trust to help you?" he growled in distain, turning his gaze to his former allies.

"Stoneteller, your cats saved our lives from this hawk," Tawnypelt insisted, rushing forward. Rock appeared beside her, tossing the dead hawk to the Healer's paws. "We would like to repay the favor. We bring this prey to you as an offering, as well as bait for the lion-cat."

Stoneteller's ears pricked. "Bait?"

As Rock and Bird began to explain the plan to the Tribe (a crowd had gathered by now), Brambleclaw had automatically fallen towards the back.

"Hey."

Brambleclaw nearly jumped at Talon's gruff voice. He turned to face him, and the dark brwn tom jerked his head. "Come on. I cut my paw. We're going to lure Sharptooth this way. He follows the scent of blood remarkably well. Learned that the hard way, of course."

Brambleclaw curled his nose at the tange of blood, but followed Talon to the back of the cave, where the rock emptied to a large area behind the moutnain.

"Thanks again for your help," Talon said ThunderClan tom shrugged.

"It's nothing," he admitted. "You did save my life, after all. It's time to save yours."

"No, really," Talon purred, dabbing his paw pad on a smooth stone outside the cave. "That was a genius idea you had. Use that head of yours for good, okay?"

"Got it." Brambleclaw forced a chuckle as he and Talon headed back into the cave. By now the cats had hidden atop ledges, and their curious eyes glowed like bats' from the ceiling. Feathertail cramped into a space and was motioning Brambleclaw next to her from the other side. Brambleclaw nodded goodbye to Talon before making his way towards Feathertail. Squirrelpaw and Bird had just finished stuffing the hawk and stood back, and Brambleclaw and Talon nearly made it to safety when there was a muffled cry.

"Tribe of Endless Hunting, he's come early," Talon whispered, eyes huge. Brambleclaw heard a low snarl from behind him and slowly backed up into a corner ledge, next to Feathertail. The silver cat was oddly silent. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, and Bird had taken cover near the walls as well.

Sharptooth was easily the biggest cat Brambleclaw had ever seen. His maw was curled in a growl as he dragged his long beige paws across the cave ground, swinging his head from side to side. Brambleclaw leaned forward, ears alert as the lion-cat made his way towards the hawk.

Sharptooth walked right by it. Brambleclaw's heart leapt.

"Did he not see it?" Brambleclaw whispered to Talon. Talon's fur was on ened, and his eyes were rounder than ever.

"He saw it," the tribe cat whispered. "He just doesn't want it."

Sharptooth suddenly turned towards Feathertail and Brambleclaw's side of the cave with teeth bared. Brambleclaw bit back a scream as he saw Crowpaw pressed to the wall, blue eyes huge. Feathertail sucked in her breath sharply. Squirrelpaw stepped forward to distract the huge cat, and momentarily everything inside Brambleclaw was screaming _. No, Squirrelpaw!_  
But even if he had opened his mouth to warn her, nothing would have changed. Sharptooth ignored Squirrelpaw and took another step close to Crowpaw. He was enjoying himself, and he was going to kill Crowpaw.

"I know what I have to do." Brambleclaw turned slightly at the sound of Feathertail's voice. Her eyes were frantic, but her voice remained steady. For a single, shining moment, her eyes locked with Brambleclaw's. "The voice is telling me what to do."

Brambleclaw's ears flattened in horror. "You hear it too," he murmured in realization. He looked at the poisoned hawk, untouched, and back at the mountain lion. "Feathertail, don't listen to the voice," he begged. He felt a lump form in his throat. "It's wrong."

Feathertail gave him a longing look. "It's telling me I have to do this, Brambleclaw," she whispered. Brambleclaw opened his mouth to protest, but the voice stopped him. _You fool!_ It hissed _. This is her destiny!_

"No!" Brambleclaw growled, shaking the voice away. Feathertail looked away from him and bunched her haunches. Brambleclaw reached out to stop her when he saw her eye the stalactite, but he felt something push him back.

 _It's not your time to die!_ The voice snapped.

"It's not hers either!" Brambleclaw barked.

Feathertail jumped.

Three sounds reached Brambleclaw's ear at that moment. One was Sharptooth's snarl as he leapt for the killing bite. The second was Tawnypelt's agonized scream. The third was the sound of Feathertail slamming into the stalactite, and the sound of rock snapping as it plummeted down, down, onto the back of Sharptooth.

There was a horrible snap. The dust cleared, and then there was silence.

One by one, cats began to trickle out of their hiding spots. Brambleclaw followed Talon numbly as he approached. Sharptooth was a mess of blood and rock debris, and close beside him was Feathertail. Rock gingerly placed his paw on Feathertail's chest, and Brambleclaw's eyes widened as his head fell.

"They're both dead," he murmured. "I'm so sorry."  
"She went down with honor," Stoneteller rumbled, closing his eyes and placing his paw triumphantly over the cougar's head. Then his eyes opened, and he glanced up at the skyless heaven of rock above him. "She saved our tribe from a terrible storm."

"She saved me," Crowpaw whispered bitterly. Brambleclaw had not looked at him, but not he saw that the dark gray apprentice was swaying on his paws bitterly.

Tawnypelt dragged herself over to her best friend's body and collapsed upon seeing the limp silver fur, sobbing uncontrollably. Hawkpaw and Squirrelpaw made their way over to Brambleclaw. As much as she was trying to hide them, Squirrelpaw was on the verge of tears.

"I could have saved her," she whispered bleakly, staring at her fallen Clanmate. Brambleclaw did not even look at her.

"I could have, too," he whispered. He did not tell her about the voice.

Instead he rose to his paws to mourn his friend.

* * *

 **Not so fond of the voice now huh? It literally killed Feathertail. Also I took out the whole FeatherxCrow thing because there wasn't enough time to develop that. They were just good friends here. he's still going to be absolutely crushed by her death though, fear not.**

 **Well here's a semi-long chapter to maybe make up for the writer's block I had there? heh. My writer's block can last for months and that was the first one I had with this series, again so sorry. Anyway a couple things:**

 **1\. I know it was a rabbit and not a hawk that they fed Sharptooth, but for the sake of the plot and the convenient hawk that got killed I thought it was more fit**

 **2\. the tribe doesn't really appear not only because I don't care about them but also because we have to keep this story moving (bear with me)**

 **3\. there were a couple other inconispentes that I'm aware of so don't hate lol, it's all part of the plot (especially the "voice" Feathertail hears... it's much more important in this fanfic now, don't you think?)**

 **anyway, that's all, thanks for reading (this insanely long author's note)!**

 **One question before I go, what accent do you imagine the Tribe cats having? When I was reading the actual series I pictured them with African accents, not it's more of Scottish to me, heh.**

 **~Quinn**


	11. Chapter 10

**so uh, it's been a while, hasn't it? Jeez, I haven't exactly been busy but writing this story is kind of draining me emotionally. Once the cats get to the new forest, it will start to pick up. I'm just praying on that. :o**

 **.52: I find it that many people don't like Feathertail that much (which sucks because I liked her) and that people tend to ignore that her death impacted other characters besides Crowpaw. Thanks for the review!**

 **Spottedheart: I completely understand! I'm really busy too. British, eh? I like it!  
**

 **chase: yay! (idk what you mean by more context tho lol). glad you like it though~**

 **Hazel Ashwood: what a lovely review! Leafpaw will be conflicted towards Firestar, and unfortunately she'll make some bad decisions along the way. We'll see about those as we progress, though. :)**

* * *

Leafpaw raised her head from the shallow grave she had just made with a scrunched face. The contaminated rabbit had been buried, the one task that Leafpaw could do correctly. The camp had gone eerily silent in contrast to Dappletail's pained wails, and Leafpaw felt the sudden urge to not go back and instead begin to walk.

She didn't know where she was walking and instead followed her feet towards ShadowClan territory. She wondered what laid in ThunderClan's future, and suddenly felt a deep, hollow pit form in her belly. Once, she had been so sure of her future: becoming a successful medicine cat who all of ThunderClan looked to for hope, watching Squirrelpaw rise in the ranks and become leader after Tigerstar - and now, where was that vision?

Leafpaw kept walking, mumbling the herbs she passed under her breath.

"Milkweed… tansy… or goldenrod?" she mused, pausing to squint at the long, stalky yellow flowers. Immediately Cinderpelt entered her mind, voice tinged with annoyance.

 _"Come on, Leafpaw," her mentor meowed scathingly. Leafpaw could almost picture her scowl of dissaproval. "How do you still not know the difference?"_

"I'm trying!" Leafpaw wailed out loud, ears flat. Then she flushed, realizing how loud she might have been for screaming at her own imagination. Then another voice entered her mind, and this one took a moment for Leafpaw to realize.

"Tansy has little round flowers," explained Firestar gently. Leafpaw felt a stirring against her pelt, and when she looked up, a wind caught the yellow flowers and lifted them in front of her nose. "Goldenrod is similar, but with bunched flowers. See?"  
Leafpaw prickled at Firestar's presence, but there was one thing that set her off guard: he was right.

"Goldenrod," she realized under her breath. Then she realized what spell Firestar had her under and huffed, storming away in the opposite direction. Her father, thankfully, did not try to follow. _He knows me better than some of my Clanmates_ , Leafpaw realized with a sudden twinge of anger. She could hear the Thunderpath now, and the trees were beginning to thin out. She was about to reach a cluster of lavender-colored flowers to recognize when she looked up and saw a light gray shape in contrast to the black pavement, hunched over and slowly, painstakingly making its way across the Thunderpath. Leafpaw's ears pricked.

 _It's a cat!_

Instinctively, leafpaw bunched her haunches and took off in a sprint towards the Thunderpath, heart pounding as a monster came rumbing down the road. Her breath caught in her throat as it neared the cat, neon eyes glowing, but it swerved last minute and left the gray cat in its dusty trail.

"Hello?" Leafpaw hollered through gasping breaths. "Do you need help?"

The moment the words escaped her mouth, Leafpaw's heart skipped a beat. She realized that this cat was not injured, but dragging something. _Another cat. Foxdung._

"Leafpaw? Is that you?" the gray cat responded bleakly. He had reached ThunderClan's side and dropped what he was dragging. Leafpaw recognized Ashfur's voice and slowed, breathing heavily as she reached him.

"Is everything alrig-" Leafpaw trailed off. The clear pain in Ashfur's blue eyes and the lump of matted fur at his paws answered Leafpaw's million questions before she had the chance to ask them. Whatever story Ashfur told, whatever fiasco had caused the demise of the young cat didn't matter. A second cat was dead. Leafpaw closed her eyes and took in a deep, shaking breath.

This time, the victim had been Shrewpaw.

"I tried to stop him. I really did," Ashfur managed. His swallowed and his head fell. Another monster passed, and Leafpaw felt the tremble in her paws as it blew Ashfur's fur flat for a fleeting moment.

"What happened?" Leafpaw whispered. Her voice broke and her eyes flickered down to Shrewpaw's body.

"We were hunting," Ashfur explained. His voice held an emptiness and hollowness that reflected in his eyes. "And there was no food at all. The Twolegs took it. We-" Ashfur broke off in a rattling cough. "-we were with Brightheart and Cloudtail, trying to find food near the Thunderpath, when Cloudtail gets this crazy look in his eyes. There was this plate of… of Twoleg food, just sitting there by the road. I told him not to eat it," Ashfur went on bitterly. "I told him. But he didn't listen. I split up with Shrewpaw because I didn't want him to get hurt. By the time we heard the screams, it was too late."

By now, Ashfur's eyes were wild and huge. Leafpaw ushered him off of the pavement, where he stumbled a bit before giving Shrewpaw's body a bemoaning glance. "Are Cloudtail and Brightheart dead?" Leafpaw asked in a low voice. To her surprise, Ashfur shook his head.

"No. Worse, probably. When I came out of hiding, I saw Brightheart getting shoved into a monster in this cage thing. Shrewpaw and I tried running after them, but it was no use. I tried to tell Shrewpaw that there was no point, but he was so determined to save his mentor." Ashfur's gaze flickered back to the Thunderpath, where Shrewpaw's limp body was facing them from the edge. The gray tom's voice dropped to a murmur. "He was hit only a few seconds after he started running."

"So Cloudtail and Brightheart are missing, and Shrewpaw is dead?" Leafpaw rasped in disbelief.

"If it wasn't true, why would I be wasting my breath?" Ashfur snapped, whipped his head around with bared fangs. Leafpaw recoiled, and suddenly the ashen tom's eyes softened. He leaned back apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"  
"It's okay," Leafpaw sighed, trudging towards the Thunderpath to retrive Shrewpaw. "While you were out, we lost Dappletail."

"She's dead?" Ashfur's eyes rounded worriedly.

Leafpaw nodded grimly, ignoring the putrid stench of the Thunderpath as she grasped Shrewpaw's scruff. "Poisoned. We're compeltely out of food."  
Ashfur didn't speak as he padded up to Shrewpaw, dipping his head down to assist Leafpaw. Then he paused and glanced up at the medicine cat with glazed eyes.

"How are we going to keep on living here?" he asked quietly, with the same gentle smallness of a kit.

Leafpaw sighed. "We're not."

Then she began to drag Shrewpaw back to camp.

* * *

Three days had passed.

Three days ago, Leafpaw had been much less worried. Sure she had been _worried_ \- her sister, her closest ally, was still gone, she had the same sickening feeling that she would never be what Tigerstar and Cinderpelt wanted her to be - but those worries were nothing.

Now Dappletail and Shrewpaw were both dead, and both deaths could have been avoided. Cloudtail and Brightheart were still missing, which had sent their daughter Whitepaw into a pit of depression and panic. The forest was falling apart. And Firestar lingered with Leafpaw's shadow in every step she took. The thing that worried her most about her father was not how he used to be evil, but how she was conflicted with her emotions towards him.

Leafpaw had been avoiding the rest of ThunderClan since Shrewpaw and Dappletail's funerals, isolating herself to herb-picking and distant walks. Some days, like today, Snowfoot walked alongside her in their familiar, rhythmic silence as they roamed the territory. ThunderClan, despite everything happening around them, was very calm. A lot less hunts went out; at one point even noble Whitestorm had begun to give up. Less and less food began to appear in the fresh kill pile, but that had been due to the lack of prey in the forest altogether, not lack of hunting. The past few days, Leafpaw would take note of one less tree as the Twolegs continuously hacked them down. Every time she saw a skinnier-than-usual WindClan cat or a dull-pelted RiverClan cat on her walks, her heart ached. The Clans had been avoiding the obvious.

 _We're starving._

The only hardworking cat, it seemed, was Tigerstar. But he had been away a lot, meeting and discussing privately with other Clan leaders on what to do. Cinderpelt tagged along sometimes. Leafpaw was not invited.

These thoughts occupied Leafpaw's mind as she neared RiverClan territory. Snowfoot flanked her, gazing up at the trees in quiet wonder. Leafpaw paused to glance in the water, and it was noticeably very shallow. When she saw her own reflection, she realized how tired she looked: sunken eyes, dull fur that clung to her cheekbones, protruding bones from her starving physique. She nudged Snowfoot, and he trotted over before glancing at his own reflection. To Leafpaw's surprise, he smiled warmly and leaned over the shallow river in interest.

Suddenly, a figure burst from the reeds on the opposite side of the river. Leafpaw's head jerked up, thinking a RiverClan cat was coming to chew them out for being so dangerously close to the river. Apparently Snowfoot thought the same thing, but it shocked him much more than Leafpaw. He tried to jerk back but his front paw slipped on the muddy edge, and he fell into the river with a splash.

The RiverClan cat squealed. Leafpaw looked to her in horror before realizing that it was Mothpaw. With a flash of instinct, the horror in Mothpaw's eyes changed into sudden calm and fierceness, something Leafpaw had never seen in her before. The golden cat dove into the water gracefully, disappearing under without taking a breath. Leafpaw unsheathed her claws in terror as she watched Mothpaw's figure swim towards Snowfoot's, grasping his scruff in her mouth before pulling the larger cat upwards to surface. Snowfoot's head emerged and he gasped, gripped with fear, as Mothpaw began to tread to shore.

Leafpaw felt the sudden impulse to help, somehow, so she came close to the edge, reaching out with her paw so Snowfoot could grab on. Mothpaw braced herself, then took a lunge in the water towards Leafpaw. She let go of Snowfoot, and for a fleeting, horrible moment Leafpaw thought it was by accident. But the ThunderClan she-cat felt Snowfoot's wet shoulder meet her chest, and she grasped his scruff to pull him up to shore.

When the white cat's paws touched land, he collapsed and began coughing violently. Leafpaw leaned over him to hear his chest in worry, but his breathing was even.

"You're gonna be okay - hey, look," Leafpaw said quietly, waving her paw frantically in front of Snowfoot's face. Snowfoot looked at her, ears flat and helpless. "You're shocked, if anything."

As she spoke, Mothpaw emerged from the water and shook her coat effortlessly.

"Mothpaw!" Leafoaw explained, rising to her paws. "That was incredible!"

"I'm a RiverClan cat," Mothpaw reminded her bashfully. "It's what I do best."

"You saved his life," Leafpaw rebutted.

"In shallow water," Mothpaw said modestly. Leafpaw shook her head furiously.

"He can't swim," she insisted. "You did amazing. I've never seen that look in your eyes before!" she added playfully.

Mothpaw purred, giving her front paws a little shake to free them of droplets. "Really? Sasha used to say Hawkpaw gets that look all the time, when he's training."

Leafpaw purred, but it faltered at one word. "Sasha?"  
"Oh, my mother," Mothpaw explained, voice suddenly losing its playfulness. Snowfoot had gotten to his paws, hobbling towards Leafpaw's side.

"Was she a kittypet?" Leafpaw asked, suddenly growing curious. If Sasha was a kittypet, then maybe she wasn't the only medicine cat feeling left out!  
"She used to be. She became a rogue later on, before she had me and Hawkpaw," Mothpaw explained.

"Oh. Was your father a RiverClan cat, then?" Leafpaw asked, well aware that she was prying. Just as Mothpaw began to hesitate for words, Snowfoot began to make a gesture. He used a paw to usher at his chest - his heart- and then pointed his paw at Mothpaw, giving her a goofy smile.

"He says thank you," Leafpaw explained quietly, "for saving him." Mothpaw nodded and swallowed, suddenly looking miserable.

"My father wasn't a RiverClan cat," she admitted. She took a deep breath and a glance from side to side quickly before her head dropped. "I shouldn't be telling you this."

Leafpaw reeled back. "Look, if you don't want to tell me-"

"No, Leafpaw, you've been a great friend to me. You deserve..." Mothpaw trailed off, looking at her paws. then she took another deep breath. "I think you already know."

Suddenly Leafpaw was thrust into memories, of Mothpaw and Hawkpaw in RiverClan. They both held the same, broad and sturdy figure with that thick, coarse fur that Leafpaw had seen a million times. Mothpaw's jagged stripes and orange eyes made sense now, but it was Hawkpaw who gave it away. His dark brown tabby fur and large, square shoulders - how had no one guessed it?

"Tigerstar," Leafpaw whispered, careful to hide her mouth from Snowfoot. "Is... is Tigerstar your father?"

Mothpaw said nothing except let a small, bittersweet smirk reach her face. "You can't tell RiverClan," she whispered. "Or anyone, for that matter. Sasha told us that he has a reputation as leader of ThunderClan. He doesn't know we exist and he doesn't need to. We'd like to keep it that way."

Leafpaw's heart fell.

"The only ones who know are me, Hawkpaw, and Leoaprdstar. She only lets us stay because she has an interesting relationship with Tigerstar," Mothpaw mused. She paused thoughtfully. "Sasha left a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," Leafpaw whispered. An awkward silence passed between them, and this one Leafpaw wasn't sure she liked. "Thanks for saving Snowfoot. We'd better go."

"No problem," Mothpaw said bleakly.

Leafpaw and Snowfoot continued their silent journey. Leafpaw had explained to him that it was best he dried off before they got home to avoid suspicion, and Snowfoot hadn't argued. Soon they were headed towards ShadowClan territory, near the Thunderpath that had shattered Leafpaw's hopes three days prior. She heard Snowfoot gasp sharply and stop before they reached a clearing, and when she trend to see what the fuss was about, her eyes widened.

In front of them was a large cage-thing with walls that hid whatever was on the inside. In the middle was a plaster of hard, pebble-looking Twoleg food, but that wasn't what Leafpaw was worried about.

"It smells of Cloudtail!" she realized aloud, looking at Snowfoot in wonder. _This must have been what Ashfur was talking about!_ "Cloudtail!" she called, swinging her head side to side before taking a cautious step forward. She heard Snowfoot hiss for her to get back, but she ignored him. "Cloudtail? Are you in here?"

Before she knew it, she was shaded by the top of the cage, using her whiskers to feel the sides. Then she hit the end wall with her nose, and in sudden dread, she realized that Cloudtail was not there.

She turned around with just enough time to see Snowfoot's horrified expression before something slammed down in front of her. Leafpaw leapt forward, but by then her world had already gone dark.

* * *

 **This chapter was mainly a filler so I apologize about the lack of... everything. I had to get from point A to point B, even if point B got a little bit rushed at the end *cough*. Anyway please review, I could really use some inspiration from this story.**

 **~Quinn**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey, do you want YOUR oc in THIS story? Read the author's note at the end for more info! :D  
**

 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: Agreed!**

 **Jaydomination: thanks, really appreciate that lol**

 **Wyldclaw: interesting idea...** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **Ooo Shattered Sky comes out in like... half an hour for me. Am I pumped? Yes. Did I spoil some of it for myself? No. Maybe.**

 **ANYWAY onto the chapter! I actually like this one (ikr?). Also please read the author's note at the end, thanks!**

* * *

"Hey, open your eyes. We're almost home."

Brambleclaw shook his head, squeezing his eyes before prying them open at Hawkpaw's voice.

"Thanks," he muttered, not really meaning it. Hawkpaw grinned knowingly before bounding ahead to Tawnypelt, who took the lead.

The group had moved on grudgingly after Feathertail's death. They had buried her beside the waterfall, and Stoneteller had thanked them plentifully, owing them many favors and filling their bellies and wrapping Tawnypelt's aging rat bite before the journey continued. They had been traveling for about a day, and finally, the mountains were behind them.

"Hey, that path leads to the Moonstone!" Squirrelpaw exclaimed, nodding at a divot in the earth's rocky ground. "We're on Clan territory!"  
Brambleclaw nodded his approval, thankful that she had finally been excited about something. The whole atmosphere of the group had grown heavy after Feathertail's death: Tawnypelt's head drooped when she walked, Hawkpaw's icy eyes sparkled a little less, Squirrelpaw became quiet, and Crowpaw was the worst. Not one complaint reached his lips, and his large ears drooped at the tips. His eyes looked sunken and his tail dragged.

He and Feathertail had been close friends over the course of the journey. _It must be hard to find friendship when you're that prickly_ , Brambleclaw decided, risking a glance at the sullen black apprentice.

"I think someone's getting her warrior name when she gets back," Brambleclaw said to Squirrelpaw, but loud enough for the others to hear. Squirrelpaw's ears pricked as she caught on.

"Really?" she breathed.

Brambleclaw nodded eagerly. "You've proved yourself time and time again during our journey. It's only logic."

Squirrelpaw beamed and for once, was speechless.

The cats reached an intersection of empty Thunderpaths. Not a roaring monster lumbered in sight, which Brambleclaw was thankful for.

"This is where I part from you," Crowpaw announced, narrowing his eyes. WindClan's territory lingered just across the Thunderpath, but the black apprentice didn't seem to miss it all that much.  
"Not even a goodbye?" Tawnypelt asked. Brambleclaw wondered if it had meant to be a tease, but his sister seemed genuinely upset about Crowpaw's departure. Crowpaw forced a smile, but it came off as grim.

"I'll still see you at Gatherings. But goodbye," he said uncertainly, dragging his gaze across the remaining cats.

"But don't you remember what Midnight told us?" Hawkpaw piped up, tail flicking in worry. "This isn't our home for long. We are going to take this journey one more time, with the rest of our Clans."

"He's right," Brambleclaw added gravely. "It isn't goodbye for long." As he spoke, the brown tabby looked up and saw a cloud of debris tinting the air. A cluster of trees was missing from ShadowClan territory, across the Thunderpath.

Crowpaw only nodded sharply, pressed his paw to the Thunderpath, and darted across without a word. Brambleclaw could still see him streaking across the empty moor until he was no more than a speck in the distance.

 _He can be a prick_ , Brambleclaw thought tartly, _but I won't admit how quiet it is without him._

The remaining cats crossed the other Thunderpath, the one they had all crossed in the very early leg of their journey, in silence. Brambleclaw prickled at the looming shade of ShadowClan's pines, but when he saw Tawnypelt's shoulders lose their tenseness, he felt relaxed. Knowing that her home was making her happy again after Feathertail's demise, it gave him peace.

"I'll escort you all to the border," Tawnypelt explained swiftly, guided a distracted Squirrelpaw away from the border with her tail. "The last thing our Clans need right now is a war over border mistakes."  
Brambleclaw nodded importantly and walked beside Squirrelpaw through ShadowClan territory.

After what felt like ages, they reached the final leg of their journey with Tawnypelt - the final Thunderpath, which was the same one Crowpaw had taken, just a little farther towards Fourtrees.

"This is it," Brambleclaw's sister breathed. She sat down at the edge of the border, wrapping her tail around her paws and gazing at the abandoned Fourtrees - though now, there were only two trees left standing. The others were lifeless stumps.  
"Hawkpaw, Squirrelpaw, you may cross," Brambleclaw said, nodding at the Thunderpath. "I'd like to have a word with my sister."

Hawkpaw and Squirrelpaw exchanged a glance but nodded understandingly.

Together, they looked up and down the road before darting across. Still, there were no monsters.

"Some adventure we've had, huh?" Tawnypelt breathed. She inhaled deeply, taking in the long-missed scent of pines.

"I don't want you to leave," Brambleclaw admitted softly, feeling like a kit again, nestled up with Tawnypelt next to Goldenflower's soft belly. "I don't want to walk the apprentices home by myself."  
Tawnypelt laughed roughly. "They're hardly apprentices," she scoffed. "Squirrelpaw will be a warrior by dusk, and Hawkpaw's nearly bigger than you!" Brambleclaw gasped in mock offense.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Okay, if Hawkpaw and I were in a fight, who would win?"

"Am I one to answer that?" Tawnypelt replied misheviously. As Brambleclaw began to chuckle and find Hawkpaw's broad figure across the Thunderpath, his gaze led him to the half-destructed Gathering-place.

"I guess it'll have to be called Twotrees now," Brambleclaw joked, flicking his tail at what remained of Fourtrees. Tawnypelt's eyes narrowed, but the tips of her maw hinted at a smile.

"Soon we won't call it anything," she pointed out in a murmur. She moved her glance from the upturned moors and treeless borders to her own home, the pines. "I'm going to miss this forest," she admitted honestly.

"Me too," Brambleclaw agreed, pressing his pelt close to his sister's. "But so long as we don't lose each other, we're gonna be fine, right?"

At this, Tawnypelt broke into a purr. It was broken, since she had not expressed genuine happiness - even a bittersweet happiness - in a long time. "We will never lose each other. After all, we take this journey again."

Brambleclaw felt his eyes light up. "Then I'll see you then."

"It's a done deal, then." Tawnypelt smirked, but her eyes flickered in realization and her smile dropped, eyelids flickering. "What if they're not happy to see me?" she whispered, glancing back at the pines. "I mean, I just disappeared out of the blue and to come back when it's all destroyed-"

"Hey, don't say that," Brambleclaw insisted, drawing his eyebrows together. He placed his paw on top of Tawnypelt's and looked at her seriously. "We're heroes, Tawnypelt. Wouldn't Rowanclaw be proud of you?"

At her mate's name, Tawnypelt's eyes raised from her paws. She was trying to hold back a grin. "If you're warming up to Rowanclaw, there must be StarClan magic in your head," she breathed jokingly.

"Just you wait," Brambleclaw said in a mischievous reply. "Before you know it, Blackstar and I will be best friends!"

Just as Tawnypelt began to laugh, a rustling came from nearby. Brambleclaw's sister stopped abruptly, perking her ears.

"Who's there?" a rough voice barked from the distance. "Show yourself!"

"That's Russetfur!" Tawnypelt hissed, frantically shoving Brambleclaw towards the Thunderpath. "You have to get out before she sees you here!"

"Okay, okay," Brambleclaw said leisurely, checking to make sure no monsters were coming. "Goodbye to you too!"

"Go!" she snapped, giving him a harsh shoulder shove across the road. Brambleclaw stumbled across, landing next to Squirrelpaw, who watched with wide emerald eyes.

"Love you too!" he hollered across the Thunderpath, just as Russetfur and her patrol emerged from the shadows.

"Now who do we have - _Tawnypelt_?" the deputy gasped. Brambleclaw didn't stay to hear the rest. Instead, he ushered Squirrelpaw and Hawkpaw towards home with a small smile.

The walk through the forest seemed quieter without Feathertail. Squirrelpaw bounced ahead, still giddy at the idea of a warrior name. Hawkpaw lingered beside Brambleclaw. Every once in a while Brambleclaw would catch the apprentice staring at him, but every time he turned to look at him Hawkpaw would turn away.

As Brambleclaw walked in silence, his thoughts swarmed his mind. Though the cats had not been gone that long, it felt likes ages.

Seven days.

StarClan, only that?

On the first day, the cats had traveled at the break of dawn through Twolegplace until night fell. That was where Squirrelpaw climbed atop a Twolegplace, where Brambleclaw touched a Twoleg.

On the second day, the travelers had met Purdy. Purdy had taken them to a farm (eventually), where they spent the night.

On the third day the cats traveled onward through empty fields, into the forest. It was there that Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw fought, and where Midnight gave StarClan's message.

On the fourth day the cats turned back around, this time saying goodbye to Purdy and heading for the mountains. On the fourth day, the cats were attacked by a hawk, and then Sharptooth. On the fourth day, Feathertail died.

On the fifth and sixth day, the cats traveled through the mountains in a somber trudge, slowed greatly by the heavy snowfall and the weight of Feathertail's death.

And today was the eighth day. Today the cats came home.

"I think this is where we go our separate ways," Brambleclaw announced as they reached the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. "Hawkpaw, it's been a pleasure taking this journey with you. Thank you for saving me from that hawk."

Hawkpaw nodded politely. "It was my pleasure." He turned to the other apprentice. "And Squirrelpaw, I'll see you again. Sometime soon, I hope."

Squirrelpaw grinned. "I hope that too."

Hawkpaw grinned broadly before bounding across his own side of the border, splashing a little bit in the long-missed rivers before disappearing from sight.

"That was mature of you, Squirrelpaw," Brambleclaw commented in approval as he walked his apprentice back through familiar yet distant paths they had taken a million times before.

"What was?" she looked up at him, blinking warily. They passed the training hollow, and Brambleclaw grinned when he realized how close to home they were.

"How you treated Hawkpaw. And no snappy remarks to Crowpaw? I'm impressed," Brambleclaw said honestly.

"Well, I like Hawkpaw. He's honest but doesn't hold me back. And Crowpaw..." Squirrelpaw trailed off. Brambleclaw's mind flashed vividly back to when Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw had fought over their fathers, and how much hatred ran between them in that fleeting moment. But before Squirrelpaw could continue, someone else stopped them.

Brambleclaw was taken aback by the caterwaul as a gray cat hurled from the bracken, bowling Squirrelpaw off her feet. Squirrelpaw's claws unsheathed and Brambleclaw felt a hiss bubble up in his belly , but he shook away his attack mode when he saw the fleshy, crooked leg.

"Cinderpelt!" he exclaimed. Squirrelpaws eyes widened at the name. "Cinderpelt, it's us!"  
The medicine cat's eyes widened in realization. She paused, slowly uncurled her lip, an took a long glance at Squirrelpaw.

"Great StarClan, you're alive!" she exclaimed. She turned to Brambleclaw in amazement. "I didn't even recognize you!"

Squirrelpaw spat out a mouthful of hair and snorted. "Figures."

Cinderpelt ignored her. "Where did you go? And where's Feathertail?"

At Feathertail's name, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw exchanged a knowing glance. Cinderpelt's ears drooped as she caught on.

"Feathertail and I were chosen by StarClan to take a journey with cats from the other Clans," Brambleclaw explained somberly.

"Crowpaw, Hawkpaw, and your sister..." Cinderpelt mused under her breath. She looked back up at Brambleclaw in clarity. "Yes, it all makes sense."

"We were told to go to this forest surrounding a lake," Brambleclaw went on, purposefully avoiding the concept of a talking badger and salty water, "And when we got there, StarClan told us this was to be our new home. I didn't understand it, but seeing as the whole forest is getting destroyed, I can see where they're coming from," he added with a glance around.

"On the way back, we crossed through the mountains," Squirrelpaw whispered, voice dropping. "Feathertail died saving our group from a large, ferocious mountain-cat."  
Cinderpelt's head dropped in respect. "Will they even believe us?" Squirrelpaw went on in a whisper. "It sounds crazy, but it's true. I promise it's true."

"Coming from you to a ThunderClan warrior, it sounds a little crazy," Cinderpelt admitted. "But luckily for you, I'm a medicine cat who happens to deal with crazy every day. I believe you. If StarClan told you, then surely this is what we are destined to do."

"What did we miss?" Brambleclaw asked, flicking his tail at Squirrelpaw. "Back home, I mean."

Cinder pelt shrugged. "We're suffering. First we started losing prey to the Twolegs, which caused starvation. Dappletail was so crazed by hunger that she ate a poisoned rabbit and died. We also lost Larchkit and I fear Speckletail and Hollykit may be next. Then Shrewpaw got hit by a monster, and Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Leafpaw were all taken by Twolegs."

"Leafpaw?" Squirrelpaw blurted. "Where was she taken?"

Cinderpelt sighed. "StarClan knows. Thank StarClan you've found a new home, though. We're desperate."

With that, she pushed through the barrier and bellowed, "ThunderClan! May I have your attention!"

Every head turned towards them, and suddenly Brambleclaw understood Cinderpelt's fear for ThunderClan. Whitestorm's eyes were empty and sunk into his broad face; Runningwind's nimble figure had turned more into a sack of bones and fur. Rainwhisker and Sorreltail no longer looked young, and Longtail's features were jarred out against his sickly face.

"Everyone, the missing cats have returned!" Cinderpelt announced, gaze sweeping the Clan. It was at that moment that Tigerstar emerged from his den, mouth agape.

He looked horrible. Maybe not every cat could see it, but through Brambleclaw's eyes, the leader looked defeated. His fur still shone though his ribs jutted through his pelt, and Brambleclaw wondered if he had lost a life from hunger. Brambleclaw stared at him as Cinderpelt told the cats' heroic traveling tale - mind Feathertail's death - with Squirrelpaw piping up to correct her or add something. When the medicine cat stepped back, head dipping, a flurry of voices began flooding Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw with questions.

"We're leaving? When?"  
"You expect me to believe a young warrior and his apprentice?"  
"Are we going to die?"

"Where is Feathertail?"

One voice rang out most strongly among the rest. Brambleclaw's eyes met yellow ones, ones of worry and sadness. Graystripe had pushed through the crowd and faced the mentor and apprentice. His chest rose and fell in panic, but the trembling in his voice told Brambleclaw that he already knew.

"Feathertail walks with StarClan, now," he explained softly. "She died saving us from a terrible mountain cat named Sharptooth." To Brambleclaw's surprise, Graystripe nodded only once and stepped back. he did not look up from his paws, though Sandstorm pressed up against him comfortingly.

Brambleclaw's heart fell. _His last family - gone without a goodbye._

"Murmurs broke out among the crowd, and Bramnbleclaw braced himself for more questions, but an angry hiss cut the whispers silent.

"Silence!" Tigerstar snappde, sauntering past the crowd. He looked enraged, and the fury in his eyes was one Brambleclaw had seen only once before. "That's enough. Brambleclaw, come with me. _Now_."

At that one, menacing word, the Clan went silent. They knew better. Brambleclaw's eyes widened in realization as he slowly followed his father back to his den. Squirrelpaw watched with a questioning glare, but Brambleclaw shooed her back with his tail. Tigerstar remained silent until they reached his den, when he spun around and hissed.

"What is wrong with you?" the leader snapped.

Brambleclaw was taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean by that?" he managed timidly, lowering his head.

"I was so worried about you!" Tigerstar growled, reaching up with his large paw and rubbing his face in anguish. "You can't just disappear for a week and expect everything to just be fine."

Brambleclaw's eyes narrowed. "I never said it was fine. StarClan said -"

"I could give a dung what StarClan said!" Tigerstar exploded. "Right now, we are trying to survive, Brambleclaw."

"They gave us the land to survive!" Brambleclaw shot back, feeling irritation begin to rise in his throat. "We can't keep living here. Not with all this destruction... death..."

"Oh, what the bloody- _what do you know about death_?" Brambleclaw shied back as Tigerstar's sharp voice echoed around the den. He was rendered speechless and his ears drooped, shoulders slumped, and avoided the amber glare of his father. "I have watched Dappletail, Shrewpaw, and Larchkit die. I have watched Speckletail and Hollykit grow so weak that they can't move. I have watched Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Leafpaw get captured and I can do nothing. And you? You went on an eight day walk with Firestar's daughter."

A silence followed. Tigerstar's voice was dripping in liveness now, and it shone in his eyes.

Brambleclaw's head snapped up. Suddenly, he understood - why Tigerstar was so angry for no reason, why he was being punished for following StarClan.

"That's why?" he growled. "You're angry because I was with Squirrelpaw?"

"No," Tigerstar spat, "I'm _angry_ because you betrayed your Clan when you should have been helping."

"I was helping!" Brambleclaw insisted, feeling his upper lip begin to curl. "I found where StarClan told us to go! Ask Squirrelpaw, or Crowpaw, or Hawkpaw, or Tawnypelt! Was she betraying her Clan, too, Tigerstar?"

Tigerstar growled softly. "She betrayed her Clan," he meowed, "a long time ago."

"Stop acting like you're perfect," Brambleclaw hissed. "Like _you've_ never broken the code. At least when I did, I was saving the Clans."

Tigerstar hissed, but this time he was off-guard. Guilty, almost. "I am loyal to my Clan," he spat. "You-"

"Went on a journey with Squirrelpaw, _Firestar's daughter,_ " Brambleclaw imitated in a deep voice. At this point, he didn't acre how rude he was to Tigerstar - how _dare_ his father treat him like this? "That's a bit unloyal, no? She has done nothing wrong, and yet you label her by who her father was just because you had a problem with him?"

Brambleclaw blinked, expecting backlash. Instead, Tigerstar only bore his amber gaze into him, pressing him on.

"You promised that she and Leafpaw would not be outcasted here. Well, guess what? They are. They always have been." Brambleclaw paused to swallow. His mind flashed back to the day when Dappletail had made a snarky remark, and Squirrelpaw had noticed. "And now Squirrelpaw has done something extraordinary. She took this journey with me not because she was chosen to, but to prove herself to ThunderClan. And StarClan knows that she's done it. She proved herself every day of that 'eight day walk'. Actually, I was hoping she'd become a warrior today," he added, jerking his head outside the den. "But if you're biasing her based on her heritage, maybe she's better off as a kittypet."

A long, uncomfortable silence passed. Tigerstar stared at Brambleclaw, not speaking out letting his nose wrinkle and fangs bare.

"Get out of my den," Tigerstar growled finally. Brambleclaw rose to his paws numbly and made his way to the exit, but when he reached it, he paused and turned his head.

"If we won't leave," he whispered, "what will we do?"

Tigerstar looked at him, but this time, his anger was replaced by a small spark of hopelessness. Under his father's intense hostility, Brambleclaw almost missed it.

"I don't know," the leader whispered. "Now, will you tell Squirrelpaw to meet me at Highrock? There's a ceremony that needs to be done."

Brambleclaw winced at the word _needs_ , like it was a laborious task and not a ceremony. But he only nodded stiffly, and pushed back his anger for happiness for Squirrelpaw.

"Right away," he muttered.

* * *

 **Soooo remember when I said, at the beginning of Nightfall, how Tigerstar was going to act a little different? Welp, this is it. Don't worry, he's still the same angry leader we know and love, this time it's just not in his perspective. Had it been, we would probably be siding with him, but through a combination of 'it's Brambleclaw's POV' and 'Tigrstar is a flawed character', we have Tigerstar screaming at his son. The story will kind of build up around this, actually, so that's why I'm rambling about it. :)**

 **I have no idea when the next chapter will be up BUT, since Mothwing and Hawkfrost's parentage has finally been officially revealed, there will be a short story that kind of goes in depth about Sasha and Tigerstar. It will be called _Pure Evil: Untold_. I have not started writing it and tbh I have no idea how it's going to play out, but I do know that it will be only one or two chapters and it will be released before chapter 14. So stay tuned!**

 **OH! Before I forget, I'd like to have one of you guys get involved! Sasha will have a loner friend (I know in the irl series it's Pine but I don't want to make _Untold_ seem too much like the canon comics) and I want it to be your OC! I'd like  name, description, personality, and past in the review please. If it's too weird I won't use it (ex. names like Shadowswift or dark backstories - I'm looking for a regular loner with a name like Drizzle) but I'm really open for anything. The one I like most will be featured and who knows, if I end up liking multiple then maybe more than one will be included! Happy camping!**

 **~Quinn**


	13. Untold Update

**I am so so so sorry but this isn't an actual chapter. More of an update continuation from last chapter!**

 **So last chapter I asked for some OCs for an upcoming story, _Pure Evil: Untold_. It tells the story of Sasha and Tigerstar and how Mothwing and Hawkfrost came about in this AU. I added everyone who submitted an OC and gave credit in that story, so a big thank you to you all! As of now, OCs are closed.**

 **So anyway, today that story was posted! I highly recommending checking it out especially if you submitted a character. Here is the blurb:**

 ** _Takes Place Between Dusk and Nightfall. Tigerstar is conflicted between his strict loyalty to ThunderClan and his emotions, which have been rocked violently since the death of Goldenflower. When a loner comes into his life with a daring sense of adventure, Tigerstar finds where his fate truly lies and makes the ultimate decision: ThunderClan, or Sasha. (AU)_**

 **And here's an excerpt from it, in case you're on the fence:**

* * *

"Are you scared of the forest?" Rami asked suddenly, glancing up at the towering branches in wonder.

"No," Sasha retorted, hopping atop a large boulder, "why would I be?"

"The Clan cats," Rami replied doubtfully, opening his mouth slightly to taste the air. "Can't you smell their markers?"

"If we live on our own, just like them, what makes them so special?" she insisted, shrugging. "I wouldn't worry about them. Besides, has anyone actually ever seen them?"

"I haven't, but this housecat that I used to talk to - her name was Princess or something - she said her brother went into the forest and joined a Clan. He was fine at first, but then he turned into this evil, twisted cat."

"I'm not joining the Clans," Sasha pointed out. "I'm just looking for an easy meal. Besides-"

"Ha! I _told_ you they were hunting!"

Sasha and Rami both froze at the voice.

"Run," Rami whispered, petrified.

"You're not running anywhere," a she-cat announced triumphantly, sliding out from the underbrush. Next to her was a small, dark gray tom who had made the first statement. He was beaming proudly. Two more cats emerged from either side, but Sasha was too frozen to even turn her head in the slightest.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" announced a deep voice. Sasha mustered the courage to look at the tom that spoke, and felt her fur lift with unease as she saw the biggest tom she'd ever seen broaden his shoulders and pad towards the cats.

"I told you already!" piped up the gray tom, looking no more than a kitten. "She said they were hunting!"

"Sootpaw, be quiet," hissed a speckled gray tom on Rami's right side.

 _Sootpaw?_ Sasha wondered if she had heard him right. _Is that... is that his name?_

"Hunting, eh? In our territory?" the large brown tabby growled, fixing his amber gaze from Rami to Sasha. When it landed on Sasha, something flickered in his eyes, just for a moment. But in that same moment it was gone.

* * *

 **So that was kind of short but there's a lot of stuff that would spoil the chapter other wise. Anyway, I'd say it's worth a read especially because it's now completely relevant to Nightfall. Thanks again!**

 **I'm going to answer reviews bc why not:**

 **Jaydomination: ah yes, we all love the angry man! And your character will be featured!**  
 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: man, shattered sky was good. read that the day it came out lmao. your oc will be in untold also!**

 **Flower: i'm glad you appreciate the concept! I love Bubbles already, she will appear in untold!**

 **sierra: yay! bianca will appear :)**

 **: thanks! since this is a canon series except for Untold, i unfortunately do not for the sake of keeping it true to the regular arc. This is obviously my only exception.**

 **Snowfrost: Moonlight will appear!**

 **Tigerflight: bless your beautiful soul. :')**

 **Again, thank you all for submitting OCs. I look forward to seeing you next chapter!**

**~Quinn**


	14. Chapter 12

**Jaydomination: thanks!**

 **snowcrystal of thunderclan: glad to hear it!**

 **wyldclaw: thanks! I bloody love writing Tigerstar and I missed it sm**

 **Flower: and thank goodness for that! she's such a unique character and I look forward to writing more of her.**

 **sorry about the last "chapter", i just figured it was pretty important to the plot especially now that Sasha will be introduced. it feels like i haven't written for nightfall in so long, glad to be back! Important a/n at the end, much appreciated to read! thanks!  
**

* * *

Leafpaw shuddered as the cage stopped moving. Her eyes flickering around her, groping for something - anything- to escape with. But she found herself stumbling in mere darkness on a cold, plastic surface.

She took in a trembling breath and realized in horror that there were so many overwhelming smells that she couldn't handle them. A mingle of Clancats, rogue, and kittypets alike reeked, and various, panicked voices wrapped around her head saying nothing and everything all at once.

Then Leafpaw was blinded momentarily as the darkness fell from one side of the cage. A Twoleg paw was fiddling with something on the front of her cage, and looked at her nonchalantly before trotting away with a whistle. Leafpaw scrambled back, eyes wide in horror, as the cats yowled after the human to return and help them.

Once Leafpaw's eyes adjusted and her heartbeat began to slow, she began to recognize faces. Mistyfoot of RiverClan was across from her, grooming her ruffled pelt. Nearby was Gorsetail of WindClan, who looked rather angry as he paced his cage. Leafpaw's ears flipped up when a white cat beside Gorsetail turned, revealing a fleshy, scarred face.

"Cloudtail!" she called, feeling her heart beat wildly. She could see his mate, Brightheart, in the cage opposite his, looking frantic. Cloudtail looked to her in surprise upon hearing his name, and he called back "Leafpaw?" in response, but Leafpaw could only see his lips moving as the cats protested louder.

Suddenly another cage was brought in by the same, bumbling human who swayed dangerously while carrying the cat. Leafpaw didn't look as he shoved his newest victim in place, and instead stared at her paws. Her belly rumbled, and she squeezed her eyes to ignore it.

 _Perhaps the Twolegs will feed us_ , she wondered, glancing up at Gorsetail's cage. The thin tom looked sickly even for a WindClan cat, btu a bowl of something - pebbles? - remained untouched. The brown tabby she-cat beside him was eating happily from it, so Leafpaw decided that whatever it was, it was safe.

"Sandstorm!"

Leafpaw's head shot up at the unfamiliar voice. _Is my mother trapped, too?_ The horrible thought hit her instantly. She swung her head around to look for the pale ginger pelt of reassurance, but to her dismay, she saw nothing. Suddenly she locked eyes with a tan cat with vibrant blue eyes, looking at her desperately.

"Sandstorm, is that you?" the she-cat repeated. Leafpaw's hopes fell, but she felt a twinge of confusion. _Is she talking to me?_  
"How do you know Sandstorm?" she asked in reply, loudly as to stop the shaking in her voice. To Leafpaw's surpise, the colorpoint ruffled her hackles in response.

"How do _you_?" she snapped.

Leafpaw reeled back, but ignored her harsh words. She noticed the worn purple collar around her neck and realized this must be a kittypet. If she knows Sandstorm, maybe she can help me get home!

"Sandstorm is my mother," she revealed, forcing a friendly purr. The she-cat looked shocked and blinked slowly.

"I met her, once," the kittypet replied blankly, looking as if she was reaching into her farthest memories. "She was on a ThunderClan patrol, with Tigerst-"  
"You know Tigerstar, too?" Leafpaw interrupted, not able to contain her excitement. The kittypet was beginning to look disgruntled, which Leafpaw ignored completely.

"I used to," she muttered uncomfortably. Leafpaw could barely hear from across the tight hallway, but the regret in her icy eyes was palpable. The kittypet looked up firmly. "What's your name?"

"Leafpaw!" she chirped, puffing her chest for the first time in a long time. "Medicine cat of ThunderClan."

The kittypet's head tilted in confusion. "Has something happened to Cinderpuff?" she inquired.

 _Cinderpuff?_

 _Cinder...puff?_

 _Cinderpelt!_

Leafpaw held back a snort. _Cinderpuff! Imagine my mentor's face if I called her that!_ "Cinderpelt, you mean?" she laughed. "No, she's fine. I mean, I think she is," Leafpaw corrected, words falling into a sigh. She didn't know if Cinderpelt, or Squirrelpaw, or anyone for that matter was okay. She might never know. "The Twolegs have been taking our cats, land, and food. If worst comes worse, we won't be here much longer."

Her head fell at her verbal reminder, and even the stranger seemed saddened.

"Are the other Clans suffering, too?" the kittypet whispered in worry. Leafpaw's gaze flickered to Mistyfoot and Gorsetail, who both looked painfully famished and weakened. She nodded grimly.

"We're all suffering," stranger, she almost said, but realized at the last moment that she had never learned this she-cat's name. She glanced at her in slight embarrassment. "Hey, I never caught your name."

The she-cat smirked and straightened her lithe shoulders. "That's because I never told you. I'm Sasha."

Leafpaw's eyes rounded, and suddenly everything clicked.

 _Mothpaw purred, giving her front paws a little shake to free them of droplets. "Really? Sasha used to say Hawkpaw gets that look all the time, when he's training."_

 _Leafpaw purred, but it faltered at one word. "Sasha?"_

 _"Oh, my mother," Mothpaw explained, voice suddenly losing its playfulness. Snowfoot had gotten to his paws, hobbling towards Leafpaw's side._

 _"Was she a kittypet?" Leafpaw asked, suddenly growing curious. If Sasha was a kittypet, then maybe she wasn't the only medicine cat feeling left out!_

 _"She used to be. She became a rogue later on, before she had me and Hawkpaw," Mothpaw explained._

Leafpaw blinked in shock before looking at the she-cat intently. _Mothpaw and Hawkpaw's mother! Of course!_

 _And Tigerstar's mate_ , came a sinister voice from inside her.

"Sasha!" she echoed, growing increasingly thrilled. "You're Mothpaw and Hawkpaw's mother! I've found you!"

For a moment, Sasha looked stunned. "How did you know?" she rasped, growing frantic. "Did Leopardstar tell? Does everyone know?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Leafpaw promised quickly. "Mothpaw told me a couple days ago. I'm really close friends with her."

Sasha's head jerked up. "Really?" she replied, blue eyes rounding. "Do you think… do you think if we get out of here, you can take me to them?"

Leafpaw began to nod, but suddenly had a downward spiral of thoughts. "Hawkpaw went on a journey, recently," she began slowly. "The last time I was in the Clans, he wasn't home. I don't know when he will be. And in the meantime, we're still stuck."

"I've lost so much of my family," Sasha admitted, glancing at the exit of the hallway, looking forlorn. "If I can just have one kit…" she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, this is no big deal to get out of. When you're a stray, you get cooped up all the time."

She demonstrating by taking a swift gander towards the door to make sure no Twolegs were looking. Then, when she was sure, she reached her paw out of the metal bars and puched down on the lock. Leafpaw's amber eyes widened as Sasha used her shoulder to pushed, and with a burst fo effort, the cage popped open. Sasha leapt onto the ground and scurried over to Leafpaw's cage, where yowls of protest began to rise.

"Oh, you saw me do it!" Sasha snapped at the complaining cats. "Figure it out." She turned back to Leafpaw's cage and began to push down on the lock with her paws.

"When I say push, push the door," she instructed while busy at work.

"You have to help my Clanmates escape if I take you to your kits," Leafpaw warned, glancing at Cloudtail's mortified face.

"Sure. _Push_!" Sasha barked. With a grunt of effort, Leafpaw threw her side into the cage door, and it popped open. Sasha sprung aside gracefully, and as Leafpaw emerged from her cage she could see the resemblance between Sasha and her kits. She had Mothpaw's lovely fur and Hawkfrost's almond, sapphire eyes, but there was really nothing else. Leafpaw shuddered.

 _They really do look like Tigerstar._

And they did. Leafpaw wondered why no one had ever brought it up or thought it before. Mothpaw wasn't a large cat, but she did have wide, muscular shoulders - too muscular for any ordinary RiverClan cat. Her fur was thick, which was no doubt a good attribute to have for swimmers, but it was no shock where she got that. Hawkpaw had the same, large stature as Mothpaw did; Leafpaw recalled seeing him at a Gathering and thinking he looked far too large to be an apprentice. And dark brown tabby fur - _how_ had she missed dark brown tabby fur?

It was so obvious that it baffled Leafpaw why no one had ever noticed before.

Then she realized. It was because no matter what anyone thought, no matter what anyone suspected, whenever they saw Mothpaw or Hawkpaw at Gatherings, they would never voice their opinions or give it a second thought. Tigerstar was loyal. He had ThunderClan running in his veins, pulsing in his blood and oozing in his words when he spoke at Gatherings. He proved it when he killed Firestar, when he united his Clan once more. ThunderClan owed him am unplayable debt. His Clan owed that to him. His first children owed it to him. His ThunderClan mate, Goldenflower, owed it to him.

Which raised Leafpaw's question: why Tigerstar? He had the spitting image of a perfect family before Goldenflower's death: the strong, leader father, the beautiful, loving queen, the brave son, the cunning daughter...

He had everything. At once Leafpaw felt a prickle of envy. She recalled every time Tigerstar whispered to Cinderpelt, every time her mentor brought up her stupid omen of fire and tiger. She had not been blessed with a perfect family. It wasn't her choice. It wasn't Tigerstar's choice, either, no matter how much he wished it were. Maybe it was best she wasn't born at all. But she was, and seeing the doubt flicker in his eyes every time Squirrelpaw made a smart comment made her despise him just a small bit. She was the daughter of a broken family, and Tigerstar hated that. So it soothed her, in some odd way, knowing that Tigerstar's stainless image was shattered the minute he decided to meet up with Sasha.

She smiled her thanks at the tan she-cat, and looked straight into her cold blue eyes; Hawkpaw's eyes. She said nothing. Sasha coughed to break the silent tension between them.

"Now what about your friends-"

"Gotcha covered!"

Leafpaw's head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice. The brown tabby she-cat who had a pink collar dangling from her neck - the one who Leafpaw had seen happily eating Twoleg food - had hopped down from her cage, with Mistyfoot, Gorsetail, Brightheart, and Cloudtail following her warily.

Sasha heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes, but Leafpaw ignored them and rushed up to Brightheart, shoving her head under the taller cat's chin and purring.

"I'm so glad we found you!" she exclaimed, relieved to finally see a friendly face again. Brightheart's chest rumbled warmly in return as she stepped back, blue eyes shimmering.

"Me too!" she resounded.

"And safe," Cloudtail added, flicking his fluffy tail. "Let's get out of here."

"Quickly," Sasha put in worriedly with another risky glance at the door. "If these loud idiots keep this up, the humans will be back soon."

"I know the way out!" the brown tabby piped up. Sasha blinked at her with slight annoyance, but she didn't seem to notice. Leafpaw liked her. "Come on, housefolk always keep these unlocked."

"Your housefolk might," Sasha growled as the kittypet ignored her once again, bumbling to the door in the very back and pushing it with her nose. Leafpaw followed worriedly, feeling the monster rumbling, but not moving completely under her paws.

"It's moving!" the brown kittypet exclaimed, looking over her shoulder in excitement. "If we push on this side it will swing open. Come on, I need help!"

Leafpaw exchanged a glance with Brightheart and rushed up to the metal door, using her shoulder to shove the door. Another cat appeared beside her, and Leafpaw forced her fur flat as she realized it was Gorsetail, mustering all his strength and screwing his eyes shut in effort as slowly, the door began the swing open and reveal dark green grass right next to the Thunderpath.

"Jump!" Mistyfoot gasped the second she saw the opening. the RiverClan warrior leapt, followed by Cloudtail, Sasha, and Brightheart. Leafpaw saw her chance and left the door and Gorsetail behind, taking a daring jump.

Her paws left the criss-crossed metal and her stomach twisted as she reached air, being much higher up than she anticipated. Then she felt her paws hit the ground and her stomach lurched, but she remained fine and only shaken as she landed beside Sasha. A moment later, Gorsetail appeared beside her with a grunt of effort.

"Come on," Cloudtail ordered, waving his tail at the woods. "Let's get out of here before the Twolegs realize we're gone."  
Leafpaw followed him, breaking into a trot, with Brightheart and Mistyfoot following eagerly.

But the minute Sasha and the brown she-cat followed too, Gorsetail stopped dead in his tracks.

"What about them?" he asked, though below his meow was a hint of dislike. "Kitttypets don't live in the woods."  
At that, both she-cats ruffled, but the brown tabby was the one to speak.

"First of all, my name is Cody, not kitty-pet," Cody retorted. "Second of all, I saved your butt so you could at least be thankful. Third of all, I've decided to travel with you until I can find my housefolk, considering I have no idea where I am and the houses are on the other side of the woods."

Gorsetail shrugged, but it looked stiff. "Fine. What about this one?"  
Sasha's head jerked up. She looked at Leafpaw desperately, but before Leafpaw could explain, another cat spoke.

"This is Sasha. She came to RiverClan a while ago because she wanted a safe place for her kits," Mistyfoot explained with a warm look at Sasha. Sasha returned the glance but looked more relieved than anything. Leafs eyed Mistyfoot. She had never really seen her up close, and she was honestly surprised by the amount of scars the noble warrior held. _They look more like she was tortured to death than run-of-the-mill battle scars_ , Leafpaw thought, surprising a shiver. Mistyfoot's ears were nearly torn off, her tail-tip was crooked, and she was missing tufts of her sleek blue fur along with scratch-marks scored across her face and nose.

"That's right," Sasha began hesitantly. "I'd like to meet my kits again and say goodbye before the forest is destroyed."

Cloudtail's ear flicked. "Good. Are you done, Gorsetail? I'd really like to not get trapped again."

Gorsetail grumbled something under his breath, but Leafpaw was relieved as ever when he headed into the woods.

"Stubborn tom," Brightheart muttered, following him.

. . .

"So did you know a cat named Princess, back in Twolegplace?" Cloudtail asked Cody. The two of them had taken the front, with Leafpaw and Sasha not far behind. Leafpaw gaped her jaws in a yawn, only half-listening. _How long have I been gone?_ she wondered. _One... two nightfalls?_ The sun was beginning to rise now, with the hope of a new day ahead of them.

"I've seen her around. I don't know her personally, but my friend Smudge knew of her and her brother," Cody replied. A weird look crossed Cloudtail's face.

"Oh.. Rusty?" he guessed. Cody nodded importantly.

"Yeah. Smudge said he joined the Clans and never came back." She shivered, and the bell on her collar jingled when she did. Cloud tail looked at his paws but kept walking.

"Princess was my mother," he said randomly, changing the subject. Cody's whiskers twitched in surprise.

"Really?" she mused. She motioned her left ear at Leafpaw, whose head jerked up in shock. "I thought this one might be related to her. Same markings and everything."  
"Well, actually, the strange thing is, Leafpaw is Rusty's daughter," Cloudtail explained.

 _What?_ Leafpaw jerked her head back, eyes squinting in confusion. Then she remembered.

 _Oh._

 _My father was a kittypet._

Cody blinked at Leafpaw in shock. "Look at you all, having housecoat roots!" she said in approval. Brightheart and Gorsetail exchanged a glance, and Leafpaw winced. _That's not a good thing._

"We're almost at the WindClan border," Gorsetail remarked to change the subject. Leafpaw realized they were atop a hill, overlooking the vast, hals-destroyed moor. To her horror, she realized that ThunderClan's trees were mostly gone, and if it weren't for the untouched underbrush, camp would be completely visible from her stop. But before Gorsetail could bid them goodbye, Mistyfoot froze.

"Wait," she whispered. "Gorsetail, stop. Don't move."  
To Leafpaw's surprise, the thin tom actually obeyed Mistyfoot's words and slowly coked his head to face the departing group.

"Fox," Mistyfoot grunted between clenched teeth, eyes wild but posture frozen. Leafpaw slowly followed the warrior's gaze, and sure enough, a ginger blur was moving up and down lightly behind a gorse thicket.

The cats slowly began to tread backwards, Gorsetail being the most cautious, but their efforts failed. There was already a pair of golden eyes glaring at them.

"Run!" Cody shrieked, pelting towards ThunderClan territory with Cloudtail on her tail. The fox bared its ugly, dog-like fangs and jumped straight for Gorsetail. The tom screamed, unsheathing his claws and meeting the creature mid-air. Leafpaw admired her bravery, but realized in horror that she had no idea how to fight.

 _StarClan, don't let me die now!_

To her relief, Sasha and Mistyfoot rushed past her, snarling and helping Gorsetail. Leafpaw followed, realizing hopelessly as there was nothing she could do but manage a few nips at the fluffy red and white tail.

The narrowed head reared back, flinging Gorsetail from his grip on the fox's neck. the WindClan warrior was thrown back, rolling a few feet before landing on his paws.

"Run, Gorsetail!" Mistyfoot shrieked, scoring a blow across the fox's face. The red creature stumbled back, blinded momentarily. "We've got this!"  
Horsetail looked ready to fight but only swallowed and nodded, turning tail and disappearing into the bracken.

Leafpaw flushed with pride. _Mistyfoot's right - we're winning!_

But as soon as she said it she regretted it. Brightheart tumbled aside, leaving an opening for the fox to realize that Leafpaw was the smallest and weakest cat of the bunch. She scrambled back as the fox leapt at her, yellowed teeth glowing in the sunrise, but she was too late.

Instead, another cat look the blow. Leafpaw opened her eyes, blinking, to see Mistyfoot slam into the side of the fox's jaws, rearing the head the other way and saving her life. Sasha saw the golden opportunity and pushed herself towards the fox's exposed neck, biting down into it. The fox screamed and Sasha bit down harder, this time with Brightheart rejoining to help kill the fox. Slowly, the creature's efforts drowned, and it slowly kneeled over until it lay still. The three she-cats stepped back, breathing heavily.

Leafpaw reviewed their wounds shakily. Sasha had gained a cut above her eye, too small to be infected, and Brightheart had earned a knick on her ear, but aside from that, they were fine.

"Is everyone okay?" Cloudtail asked, emerging from the nearby bushed with a ruffled Cody behind him. "I was going to get her to safety before rejoining the fight, but that only lasted seconds."

Sasha nodded. "Everyone fought well," she praised, cleaning her face with her paw.

"Thank you!" Leafpaw gasped, rushing up to Mistyfoot and ignoring the other cats. "You saved my life!"

Mistyfoot licked down her rumpled chest fur. "Of course," she said modestly. "You're a Clan cat, too. At a time like this, it's best we all look out for each other."

"Still," Leafpaw insisted, dipping her head. "I would have died."

Mistyfoot's gaze darkened. "I've seen so many things close to death. If I could help just one cat..."

Leafpaw looked at her. She wondered what was going through the wounded warrior's mind, and what death she had almost faced. _She must have been very brave_ , Leafpaw decided.

 _As if_ , a new voice sneered. Leafpaw recognized Firestar's voice and ruffled her fur instantly. _Her family is_ weak _, not brave._

"What would you know about her and what she's endured?" Leafpaw retorted under her breath, glancing up to make sure no one had heard.

 _You'd be surprised_ , Firestar replied, and Leafpaw could almost see him shrugging. She longed to ask him what he meant, but before she could Cody appeared beside her happily.

"Come on!" Cloudtail hollered from ahead, dispelling Firestar from Leafpaw's mind. "We're almost home!"

* * *

 **Ah, it's so good to see Leafpaw's slow gaining of interacting with others! To clarify, Leafpaw had been trapped for roughly three days. The next chapter is in Bramble's POV and goes over the day right before she gets back. Then we'll finally be back up to speed and on the right days! Yay!**

 **Also, this is gonna sound weird but it's been two years of Pure Evil! About two years ago I wrote down a general plot idea of a series of short stories entitled 'Pure Evil'. They were supposed to be unrelated stories that were only a few chapters long that explored what it would be like if different pro/antagonists switched. This included Tigerstar/Firestar, Brambleclaw/Hawkfrost,** **Bluester/Thistleclaw, and I think Yellowfang and Brokenstar? There was also another version where Hawkfrost became a medicine cat and Mothwing was evil but I never gave a second thought to that one. Obviously I only used about half of this idea and on May 12, 2015, I created a document called Pure Evil: Dusk. I wrote only what is now the prologue and half of chapter one (it's pretty much the same as it is now) until August of the year after, which is when I finally posted it and finished it. I'm so glad people are enjoying it, and while I wished i had written the whole story sooner, I'm glad I've allowed my writing skills to evolved to where they are now. I always wanted to see where the sequel(s)** **would go, but I guess to have a sequel you have to actually finish the first story lol. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me! Without you all I don't think it would have ever gotten past the first gathering.**

 **~Quinn**

 **:)**


	15. Chapter 13

**I finished _Untold_ you guys! Three chapters but they're generously lengthy and I think it's worth a read. **

**(there were loads of comments i don't even know what to say. love you all)**

 **(Nightfall Comments)**

 **Flower: I guess that means I'm doing something right, then! Leafpaw, Brambleclaw, and Firestar all have a different 'turn' if you will... Firestar has been evil from the start, brambleclaw is starting to get turned in the wrong direction, and leaf paw... well, we'll see. ;)**

 **Snowfrost: thanks!**

 **BraveS3: congrats dude! glad you got an account!**

 **WyldClaw: glad you liked it, and thanks**

 **sierra. stanley. 52: all good guessed but we have to wait and see! and of course you like firextiger lmao you have a whole series on it XD**

 **Snow crystal of thunderclan: weird seeing how much it's progressed**

 **Jay domination: taken into consideration lol!**

 **unokiaallbritton: i don't think genetically Hawkpaw and Mothpaw could be Leopardstar/Tigerstar's kids, then again when have the erins ever given two glances at correct genes amarite. But i think leopard is much too dedicated to her position for that. She does interact with Hawkpaw pretty interestingly in this chapter i think, though.**

 **Snowfrost: absolutely! are you writing it on here and if so can i read it? just credit me as Moodycat2 somewhere please! Good luck~**

 **(Untold comments)**

 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: we'll see ... :)**

 **Flower: I feel! Writing warriors nowadays is getting so much harder. i do it basically for nostalgia now, which is why i'm making an au and not an original story**

 **Snowfrost: it was kind of an impulse thing, to give Moonlight a reason to be mad. In hindsight it made sense but I really wish I had added more on them before. :( thanks for Moonlight, loved writing her! and i was glad to give her the right to killing Lazuli, btw!**

 **Sierra: I was thinking about this while writing Untold and I think it's very likely! I'd love to write about them again (esp. having them see Hawk and Moth again omg aww Bubbles, she was more of a mom to them than Sasha anyway soooo)**

* * *

The day after Brambleclaw and Tigerstar's argument, Leopardstar came to visit.

Brambleclaw had angrily avoided his father after Squirrelpaw's - Squirrelflight, now - ceremony. He hadn't really talked to anyone in general; all they wanted to know were the details of the journey, why he had been chosen over them, if he did the right thing. He talked to Squirrelflight some, but she seemed to pity him after overhearing him and Tigerstar. The only cat he really spoke with was Graystripe, reflecting on Feathertail's life. He missed her, more than he cared to admit. She was a best friend, and watching her die tore open horrible scarred wounds of seeing Goldenflower's body dragged to camp, stiff and lifeless.

Brambleclaw kneaded the ground as Leopardstar padded majestically across camp, chatting lightly with Whitestorm as he ushered her to Tigerstar's den. _He still pretends Goldenflower's death never happened_ , he thought bitterly, eying Tigerstar as he emerged to greet Leopardstar. _He's moved on, apparently, but I haven't - I won't. It's like he doesn't think I remember. But I do, so clearly…_

"Brambleclaw! Squirrelpaw! Will you join Tigerstar and I, please?"

It was at that moment that Brambleclaw realized that beside Leopardstar was Hawkpaw, waving his thick tail rather happily. He rose to his paws from his spot beside Sorreltail, who acknowledged him with a flick of her tail. He made a sidelong glance with Squirrelflight from across camp, equally confused as him, as they padded towards Leopardstar.

"It's Squirrelflight, now," the ginger she-cat corrected formally, bowing her head to the golden leader. Leopardstar nodded and the slightest smirk of understanding reached her face.

"A fitting name. Congratulations," she turned to Tigerstar before flicking her tail to address the group. "Hawkpaw and I have come today to discuss your journey. There's a lot that needs to be cleared up. Tigerstar, is your den an acceptable place to hold a meeting like this?"

Tigerstar shrugged. "It's small, but I'm sure we'll squeeze in."

"StarClan chose the broadest cats in the forest for this journey," Leopardstar said teasingly, flicking Hawkpaw over the tail with her ear and glancing at Brambleclaw as well. Hawkpaw giggled before shoving her with his shoulder, a feat that made Brambleclaw terribly frightened for him. But Leopardstar's eyes were shining proudly. If she had a mate, there would be no doubt in Brambleclaw's mind that Hawkpaw was her kit.

Tigerstar scoffed in an attempt at a polite laugh. "Come along, then," he meowed, turning towards his den. Brambleclaw followed, fur prickling at Tigerstar's curt tone.

"Hey, you alright?" Squirrelflight whispered as they began walking. "You seemed tense ever since Tigerstar screamed at you."

"You did hear that?" Brambleclaw whispered back, feeling his fur burn in embarrassment. Before he could ask how much she had heard, they had reached the tight walls of the leader's den.

"First and foremost: let's address the lion in the den, shall we? It's a very well-known fact that the Clans need to leave," Leopardstar began. Brambleclaw looked at Tigerstar, well aware of his _I told you so_ face, but Tigerstar was only staring at Leopardstar intently. "I'm sure these two have spoken to you, but Hawkpaw has told Stonefur and me that StarClan has sent one cat from each Clan on a mission to find another forest that will aid us before our forest is demolished entirely."  
Tigerstar coughed. "They mentioned it."

Brambleclaw felt fury rise inside him but kept a serious face as Leopardstar went on. _He didn't listen to me!_

"I've already spoken to Tallstar. He's agreed that we'll leave once the other Clans are on board," she was saying.

"Any word from ShadowClan?" Tigerstar asked, rubbing his ear with his paw in concentration. Leopardstar shook her head grimly.

"I'm afraid not. They've been quiet for the past moon. I think they've suffered least of all, but they will not be like that for much longer."

"Leopardstar, Tigerstar - if I may ask," Squirrelflight interrupted, dipping her head to make sure she could speak, "why were the three of us called in here? Is there something we need to do on the journey?"

Leopardstar nodded sharply. "Of course. Since you made it there before, it will be the job of the StarClan sent cats to lead us to our new home."

"Five young cats leading us? This will not be a safe journey," Tigerstar warned darkly. "One of our own, Feathertail, was killed before she got home. How do we know we're in safe paws?"

"The mountain cat that killed her is dead," Brambleclaw argued impulsively, glaring at Tigerstar. "And besides, we know what to avoid now. Like Leopardstar said, we made the journey before."

"I just feel like it's dangerous," Tigerstar muttered, blinking slowly. "I don't want more cats to die."

"To be fair, Tigerstar, cats have died or been captured already," Squirrelflight said quietly. "And we will all die if we stay here."

 _Maybe not you, because you have like eight lives,_ Brambleclaw thought sourly about Tigerstar. On an unrelated note, his mind also traveled: _when did Squirrelflight get so mature towards older cats?_

Tigerstar nodded and took in her words thoughtfully. "It's a risk, but I think it's worth a shot if it means it's beneficial for the Clans. Leopardstar? Anything to add?"

"Like I said, it's long overdue. At first RiverClan was just going to leave, but Hawkpaw sugegsted meeting the other Clans because.. What was it you said, Hawkpaw?"

Hawkpaw looked up suddenly, like he hadn't been that invested in the actual conversation. "Uh, well, StarClan sent all of us on the journey together," he said with a knowing nod to Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. "So that must mean we're all destined to go together. All four Clans," he finished proudly, puffing out his chest in the slightest.

Tigerstar nodded at his words. "That makes sense. Thank you, Hawkpaw."

Hawkpaw grinned a little too long, but hardly anyone seemed to notice.

"So you'll come back when we have ShadowClan's approval?" Tigerstar guessed, wrapping up the meeting. Leopardstar nodded.

"When I see you again, we'll be looking at our homes one last time," she said, breathing in deeply. "Thank you for agreeing to let us visit. We'll be on our way now."

Tigerstar rose to his paws. "Anytime."

As Hawkpaw and Leopardstar began their departure, Leopardstar got into a deep conversation with Whitestorm at the exit. Brambleclaw noticed Hawkpaw linegring awkwardly besides the leader and padded towards him, hoping to expel his angry thoughts.

"Hey," he greeted. "How's it going in RiverClan?"

Hawkpaw looked surprised but relieved to see him as he smiled simply and shrugged. "It's been great," he said honestly. "I've been welcomed pretty warmly, and Leopardstar said she might make me a warrior early. Pretty great, huh?"

"Yeah," Brambleclaw muttered, ignoring the jealousy that tingled in his paws. "Hey, sorry if Tigerstar was acting stiff today. He's been moody lately."

Hawkpaw blinked in surprise. "Really? He seemed really cool! You're lucky to have him as a father."

Brambleclaw scoffed but his it in a sharp laugh. "Yeah, right. He wasn't too pleased to see me when I got home for leaving the Clan."

Hawkpaw gave him a look of pity. "Tough love?" he guessed. Brambleclaw sighed, too tired to correct him. Leopardstar was wrapping up her conversation with Whitestorm.

"Yeah, I guess. See you around?"

Hawkpaw gave him an amused glance as he turned to leave. "Sooner than you think," he reminded him. "I can't wait to lead with you, Brambleclaw!"

Brambleclaw said a polite goodbye as they disappeared. Brambleclaw watched them leave entirely.

"What a nice kid," Whitestorm commented, half to himself.

"Maybe too nice?" Brambleclaw pressed, glancing at the deputy.

Whitestorm snorted. "For a RiverClan cat, maybe. I haven't talked to you since you left, Brambleclaw. How are things holding up?"

Brambleclaw felt the tension in his shoulders loosen as Whitestorm's kind yellow eyes landed on him. "Not so well," he admitted truthfully. Whitestorm softened.

"You wanna talk about it?" he murmured, glancing up at the treeless sky. "It must have been hard, going on a journey and getting back to this hell of a place."

Brambleclaw huffed. "If I complain about Tigerstar, will you be mad?"

Whitestorm chortled gently. "Of course not, son. I'm his deputy, not his gossiping queen friend. You can talk to me anytime."

Brambleclaw purred. "Thanks. He's basically blaming me for everything that's happened. And he's just been really mad at me these past few days."

Whitestorm's eyes clouded in deep thought. "Well, how do you want him to treat you? Like he usually does?"

Brambleclaw frowned at the question. Technically, no - Tigerstar had always seemed off towards him. He always expected so much. So no, he didn't want regular treatment. He didn't want special treatment. He just wanted -

"I want him to trust me," Brambleclaw decided aloud, realizing it was entirely true. Whitestorm closed his eyes and nodded.

"Trust is an excellent foundation in relationships," he said wisely. "Now that you've decided how you want to be treated, now that you have your goal, strive for it. Good things don't come without hard work."

Brambleclaw nodded, processing his words. "You're right."

Whitestorm smirked. "I know. Now do me a favor - earn Tigerstar's trust back. It all starts with a goal. Say it aloud a few times. Offer to lead patrols. Give it your all. I've expected great things from you and I don't expect you to let yourself down. You're Tigerstar's son, after all."

Brambleclaw felt lifted. "Thank you. I will," he promised. He repeated his words again. "I'm going to make Tigerstar trust me again."

"There you go," the deputy mused, closing his eyes. "Now hurry along. These old bones need this sunlight."

Brambleclaw stared at him, wondering how he could be enjoying the sunlight when Twolegs were literally uprooting their home. _I wish I had his carefreeness._ But he only nodded and padded away.

* * *

The rest of the day passed rather slowly. Brambleclaw had taken Whitestorm's advice to heart, and now he had a goal. And he had contributed to that goal by solo hunting, which, admittedly, was easier said than done. Especially when there was near nothing in the forest.

Just as Brambleclaw was beginning to get frustrated, he heard the light sound of bird feet hitting the dead leaves not too far away. He froze before creeping forward until a small blue bird was in view, pecking at the ground fruitlessly. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, and was beginning to near when the thudding of paws thundered across the forest, and the bird took off. Brambleclaw exhaled in annoyance and rose to his paws.

Just as he was turning to see who had disrupted his hunt, two cats emerged from the brush. He recognized Squirrelflight in an instant and could barely contain his annoyance at how loud she was.

"What are you doing?" he snapped. "I almost caught that!"

"We're finding Leafpaw," Squirrelfight explained, flicking her tail at Snowfoot, who waved his tail at Brambleclaw in pleasant greetings. "Some cat sent me a vision and I saw her sitting in this cold, scary human cage! She's alive and I don't want to see her become a kitty pet. I have to help her, and Cloudtail and Brightheart too. Please."

Brambleclaw blinked, softening at her desperate words. "Alright, I'll help you look," he agreed hastily. "But you have to help me hunt if _or_ when we find her."

Squirrelflight nodded seriously. "Thanks, Brambleclaw. You have no idea how much that means."

He followed her and Snowfoot quietly as they padded towards Twolegplace.

"Do you think she'll be in a Twoleg home?" Brambleclaw asked uncertainly.

"Let's hope not," Squirrelflight muttered. Snowfoot was beginning to look uneasy, and Brambleclaw reflected his worries. _If Leafpaw's trapped with a Twoleg, there's no way we can get to her!_

Suddenly, there was a rumble in the distance. A cat wailed, so far off that Brambleclaw hardly heard.

"That's odd," Squirrelfight muttered, turning away from the picket fence awards the woods. "That sounds like it's coming from ThunderClan territory."  
Brambleclaw perked his ears and leaned forward when a sudden dread hit him.

"That's because it is!" he realized, breaking into a sprint towards the noise. "Come on, we're in danger!"

Brambleclaw followed his ears to Snakerocks, where the loud sound and putrid scent got louder than ever. He broke into the clearing, and his heart skipped a beat.

In the center was a Twoleg monster, almost as large as the ones destroying the forest. In the cat was a mesh door, where the sounds of pained cats rang from inside. It had taken the cleared path from the Thunderpath to get there, and a patrol was surrounded.

Brambleclaw took in the patrol quickly: Darkstripe, Whitestorm, Mousefur, and Graystripe. They were being surrounded by Twolegs, slowly and unsuccessfully ushering them towards the monster.

"Darkstripe!Can you hear me?" Squirrelflight hissed, hoping the tom would hear. "What should we do?"

"Brackenfur went to fetch more warriors," he said out of the corner of his mouth, looking at the hidden cats desperately through a golden eye. "Wait until they come. Then we can outnumber them and run!"

But before that moment came, a net swooped down and slid over Mousefur. The brown she-cat screeched angrily and unsheathed her claws, only untangling herself further.

"They're taking her inside!" Graystripe realized in alarm. "Go now!"

"We have to save her!" Brambleclaw bellowed, leaping towards Snakerocks. He felt Squirrelflight and Snowfoot trail after him, and without thought he launched himself at the net. He felt his front claws grapple onto Mouser's hind leg and she screamed as he pulled her down, taking himself with her.

"The weight of us all should bring her down!" Darkstripe announced, standing on his hind legs and appearing beside Brambleclaw. "Pull!"

Together, the cats battled the Twoleg as it pulled onto the net in frustration. Brambleclaw heard another screech, and in cold sweat he realized another cat had been picked up in the blur of helping Mousefur. He stiffened when he saw Squirrelflight's ginger fur squirming against Twoleg hands.

"Brambleclaw!" she screamed. "Darkstripe! Help me!"

Then the thudding of paws echoed in the distance, taking Brambleclaw away from reality.

"There they are!" Whitestorm bellowed, scratching a Twoleg's pale pink leg. The Twoleg howled in pain and dropped its net, sending Mousefur scurrying away in a frenzy.

Tigerstar had taken the lead, with Sorreltail, Runningwind, and most of the able-bodied warriors following. The leapt into battle with ferocious growls, and Brambleclwa felt a rush of adrenaline as he and Darkstripe fell next two each other, matching blows to assist Squirrelflight. However, they weren't battling alone; Squirrelflight had taken multiple blows to the Twoleg face, and it seemed to be paying off.

"Go for the back of his legs!" Darkstripe commanded. "I'll get the front!"

Brambleclaw nodded sharply. "On it," he exclaimed, rushing to the back and raking his claws up and down the Twoleg claves. The human looked bewildered and in pain as Squirreflight curved her body, hissed, and scratched him straight across the eyes.

That was enough for the Twoleg. It dropped her abruptly, and to Brambleclaw's relief he could see her twist to land on her paws safely.

"Good work!" Darkstripe praised. Brambleclaw's sudden feeling of warmth did not last for long. A net appeared behind Darkstripe, and Brambleclaw barely had time to open his mouth before it swooped over the dark tabby and engulfed him.

"No!" Brambleclaw howled, leaping forward and grabbing onto the net. Darkstripe's paw appeared over the net opening, reaching out and grabbing onto Brambleclaw desperately. Squirrelflight had regained herself, rushing back next to Brambleclaw and attempting to tip the net over. But it wasn't until a sudden new weight joined them that Darkstripe began slithering towards the exit at the top.

"Graystripe!" Brambleclaw realized, seeing the burly gray blur using immense strength to tip the net over. The gray tom ignored him with determination shining in his yellow eyes.

"Now, Darkstripe!" he hollered, pulling down with al his might. Darkstripe swallowed and pushed himself, and Brambleclaw grabbed onto his paw before using a gathered strength to pull him out. He felt himself topple backwards with Darkstripe on top of him before rolling away and coughing away the dirt.

"You okay?" he cracked, glancing at Darkstripe. The dark tom winced, glancing at a fresh gash across his shoulder.

"I grazed the rocks, but I'm fine otherwise," he managed between breaths. "You?"

Brambleclaw nodded before rolling back to his paws. "Fine. Get back to camp if you're injured."

Darkstripe's tail flicked and he scoffed. "As if. You couldn't get me to leave a battle if I was nearly de-"

He was cut off by a female screech. Both toms' heads snapped towards the sound to realize that Graystripe was stuck in Dakrstipe's net, being hauled into the monster. The tom yowled as the door slammed shut, and Brambleclaw could see his wild and desperate yellow eyes through the hatched metal door.

"Graystripe!" he bellowed, feeling panic rise in his gut. He stormed towards the monster, feeling his heart beat wildly. The monster rumbled to life, and he hardly processed that the Twolegs were gone. The monster gained speed, and Brambleclaw hardly realized how fast he was running until he felt his legs burn.

He felt a pelt aside his, and he glanced to see Whitestorm matching his stride next to the monster.

"How do we help him?" Brambleclaw hollered over the roar of the car.

"We have to jump onto the back of the monster!" Whitestorm commanded between fluctuating breaths. Brambleclaw felt a wave of panic. "You have to trust me, son. It's the only way to save Graystripe."

Brambleclaw swallowed before nodding and eying the side of the monster, where there was a ledge. He was feeling himself slow, but his determination drew him forward. _I have to save him!_

"What are they doing?" Sorreltail screeched from somewhere in the distance. Brambleclaw ignored her.  
With his entire effort, he pushed his legs up and felt the pads of his feet reach the plastic ledge on the side of the monster.

"I did it!" he exclaimed aloud, looking back at Whitestorm, still running alongside the car.

"Excellent!" he heard him praise. "I'm going to jump but I don't want to hit you!"

"You won't!" Brammbleclaw promised loudly.

Brambleclaw stepped forward to prove his point, gripping onto the plastic for his dear life. He saw Whitestorm bunch his haunches mid-stride, nearby the wheel, before launching himself upward.

Then his yellow eyes widened, and Brambleclaw realized that the deputy had not calculated his jump correctly.

"Whitestorm!" he bellowed, extending a paw. Whitestorm lunged forward mid-air, paw reached out to grab onto Brambleclaw. But their paws only barely brushed before Whitestorm began falling down and backwards, too quickly for Brambleclaw to resister what was happening. He could see the whites in the deputy's eyes as he hit the ground. Somewhere inside the monster, Graytripe screamed. The next moment the wheel rolled atop of him, and a horrible crack echoed through the forest.

The monster jolted as it hit Whitestorm, and Brambleclaw's grip loosened. He fell without feeling it, leaned to the side and hit the ground numbly. His cheek stung and a deathly silence rung in his ears, and he did not want to get up. He was afraid of what he would see, and he was afraid of the voices that began to grow nearer. Then he heard Sorreltail's shriek, and he squeezed his eyes.

 _Oh, StarClan._

Slowly, he climbed to his paws and turned shakily to see what had happened. The Clan was running towards Whitestorm's oddly still body, with Tigerstar and his daughter Sorreltail at the lead. The cats were murmuring louder now, looking at him with worry. Then they got close, and cats turned to look away or gagged. Sobs and wails could be heard, and Brambleclaw knew Whitetsorm's gory fate. Only one head was looking straight at Brambleclaw, and he swallowed when he realized.

Tigerstar.

His father said nothing, only stared at him with a look of hollow disappointment. Brambleclaw had seen him enraged, livid, pointing the blame at his son. But never disappointed and sad like this. Never placid. And Brambleclaw had never felt worse.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, barely a whisper. The words felt dry and hollow as he spoke them, and Tigerstar merely shook his head. His ribs and legs ached, but not as much as his heart.

 _"Now do me a favor - earn Tigerstar's trust back. It all starts with a goal. Say it aloud a few times. Offer to lead patrols. Give it your all. I've expected great things from you and I don't expect you to let yourself down."_

Whitestorm's words echoed in Brambleclaw's mind, and he felt his throat clog with emotion.

 _I can't, Whitestorm,_ he thought as he stared at his crooked body in the distance. _I let everyone down. I failed._

 _I let you die._

 _And I will never be forgiven._

* * *

 **That was right up there with Goldenflower's death: yeesh. Writing deaths that absolutely break the narrator (myself as well) is terrible and I'm sorry. not really. because plot reasons. but still.**

 **Update on the timeline: On the first day of this story, it was two days before Leafpaw's arrival, now it's one day. Next chapter (the day after Whitestorm dies) is when Leafpaw returns. Not really a** **spoiler cos we know it happens. Now everything is back on time! Yay!**

 **Whitestorm had a good long run in this AU, I think, and with him as the only positive parental figure in Brambleclaw's life gave me the ability to kill him off to really challenge Brambleclaw. Whitestorm gave him a goal, the fueling motivation for this whole story, in the most obvious way: by telling him to make that goal. Now we know Brambleclaw's intentions - to gain back the trust of Tigerstar - and as we know he eventually turns against his Clan, we know that this goal is most likely his downfall. A lot of things have begun to fall apart for our beloved narrator, especially now that Tigerstar is giving him the cold shoulder instead of just yelling at him. It's out of Tigerstar's typical angry character, and brambleclaw knows and hates this.**

 **SO now it's clear that hawkpaw and Brambleclaw have basically the same goal: earn Tigerstar's acceptance. Hawkpaw hasn't really made this clear yet but we'll see more of it soon, promise! This is a twist on what happened in canon: they had she same goal, but it was to be leader. Since Tigerstar is still alive, obviously, this is different for both of them.**

 **I wrote a pretty in-depth expination of Hawkpaw and Brambleclaw but I'm not gonna post it until later in the story. There's some stuff I want you all to figure out on your own before then. At the very end of this story I'm going to write a pretty long character analysis on a couple characters to wrap it up and explain my thought process _but_ to avoid spoilers I won't post it until the end, as we have many chapters until then. See ya then!**


	16. Chapter 14

Today I **sat down and thought, hm, remember when I wrote warriors fan fiction?**

 **yeah.**

 **anyway here's a half assed chapter**

 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: how lovely**

 **Wyldclaw: we learn early on this chapter. It's Brackenfur :)**

 **Flameclaw103: yikes i didn't even realize!**

* * *

 _Whitestorm is dead._

Brambleclaw's head throbbed at the painful reminder. The deputy was gone, replaced by Brackenfur. A rightful choice, but not one that brought Whitestorm back. Whitestorm's grave was in front of him, beside his falling place outside Snakerocks. There was almost no point in burial; the Twolegs would soon uproot that part of the forest anyway. He readjusted himself, trying to make the numbing pain from his paws and tail. But he soon realized that his limbs weren't just cold and asleep - he felt the numbness in his heart, too.

So many cats had died since the beginning of the destruction of the forest, but Brambleclaw had not witnessed them all. He had not seen Dappletail or Shrewpaw or Larchkit die. He had not seen Leafpaw or Cloudtail or Brightheart get taken away. But he had seen Feathertail's crazed eyes before she plunged to her death. He had seen Speckletail's bony body dragged from the elders' den one cold morning. He had seen Hollykit fall to the ground and heard Ferncloud's screaming sob. He had seen Graystripe's wild eyes from behind the mesh cage as he disappeared from sight. And he had seen Whitestorm reach out to no prevail, sucked under the monster and crushed to death.

StarClan, how much more death was there?

Brambleclaw glanced up. He could see cats in the distance, but he didn't care. _So what if they're trespassing? Borders basically mean nothing now._

 _Nothing means anything, I guess._

Brambleclaw had once hoped for a future in which the Clans were at peace. Squirrelflight and Feathertail were his closest friends, Whitestorm a fatherly deputy, and Tigerstar would look down at him with warm pride in his eyes. But that future didn't exist. Two of those cats were dead. If he could change just one thing… if he could make Tigerstar proud…

Brambleclaw shook away his thoughts. There are more important things to worry about, he scolded himself. Soon he would have to lead all four Clans to their new home, with the help of Squirrelflight, Crowpaw, Tawnypelt, and Hawkpaw.

The cats in the distance had drawn closer. Two of them had broken off, and Brambleclaw could see a small tabby speaking quickly to a tan cat with darker features. His eyes squinted as he recognized one of the voices. Is that… Leafpaw?

But before he could decide, the small tabby yowled and the tan she-cat ran towards him, scrambling down a hill.

"Tigerstar!" she gasped. Brambleclaw turned his head slightly as the she-cat bounded towards him breathlessly. He noticed her old, ratty collar instantly. "I need to tell you about your kits! You have kits!"

"Kits?" Brambleclaw echoed, looking up. _Does she think that I'm Tigerstar_? The she-cat was getting nearer now, blue eyes wide in excitement.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "I never told you. Hawkpaw and Mothpaw - they're your kits! They're our ki-"

Then the tan she-cat scrambled to a halt in front of Brambleclaw, and slowly, horror and realization flooded her gaze.

"You're not Tigerstar," was all she could whisper. She stepped back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean -"

"Hawkpaw and Mothpaw are Tigerstar's kits?" Brambleclaw whispered, feelings his aws tingle with numbness. The tabby scrambled down after the kittypet, out of breath. Brambleclaw recognized Leafpaw in an instant.

"Surprise!" Leafpaw meowed nervously. "I made it home!"

Brambleclaw looked at her sharply. "My father had kits with a kittypet?"

"Loner," the collared she-cat muttered. She looked back up at Brambleclaw in pity. "Oh, stars… Bramblepaw?"

"Brambleclaw," he corrected stiffy. An awkward silence passed between them, and the longer the three of them stared, the angrier Brambleclaw got.

"I'm sure you'd like to speak with your mate then, huh?" He guessed, feeling a lump form in his throat.

The kittypet's ears flattened. "We're not mates."

Brambleclaw wasn't sure what to make of that. On one paw, Tigerstar wasn't totally replacing Goldenflower and his family, but on the other, _he had kits with a kittypet holy StarClan -_

"What's your name?" Brambleclaw asked, closing his eyes to keep them from rolling. The loner jutted her chin.

"Sasha," she meowed. Leafpaw shuffled her paws awkwardly, and Brambleclaw turned to look at her.

"You knew?" He whispered, voice breaking.

Leafpaw did not look at him. "Mothpaw told me a few sunrises ago. I'm sorry."

Brambleclaw lifted a paw and rubbed his face. "Great. So now everyone knows. Thanks for clarifying."

"Tigerstar doesn't," Sasha pointed out.

"He doesn't know he had kits with you?"

Sasha shook her head.

"How?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed. "But I want him to. The forest is getting destroyed and I want to take my kits away from here. I want Tigerstar to know his children before they leave."

"You're taking them?" Leafpaw echoed. Sasha nodded.

Brambleclaw tensed. He didn't want to tell Tigerstar that he had more of a family beyond him. It sounded selfish. But if Tigerstar was still being stiff with Brambleclaw after Whitestorm's death and the journey, then perhaps his new kits - medicine apprentice Mothpaw and brave Hawkpaw - would be his happiness. His redemption.

And where would that leave Brambleclaw?

But at the same time, Brambleclaw had made too many mistakes recently, in Tigerstar's eyes. And in Tigerstar's eyes, the ThunderClan leader was perfect, right? He had broken the code. Badly. And Brambleclaw would absolutely stoop to his level to prove a point:

Everyone made mistakes.

Even if they thought they were doing the right thing.

"Well, why don't I take you to talk to Tigerstar?" Brambleclaw suggested, forcing a pleasant tone at Sasha. Leafpaw's eyes bulged.

"What?" She echoed in disbelief. Brambleclaw went on before she could expose him,

"I'm sure he'd love to see you again. Plus, didn't you want to tell him about Hawkpaw and Mothpaw?"

Sasha nodded urgently. "Please," she begged. "I've gone so long on my own. I miss my family."

 _You never had one_ , Brambleclaw internally snarled. _Not with Tigerstar, anyway._

But he lead Sasha towards camp, chattering to her with a friendly tone to drown Leafpaw's horrified protests, before she shoved him aside right before they entered. He stumbled aside with an oof, surprised at Leafpaw's sudden strength. She glared at him.

"Brambleclaw," she hissed, casting an anxious glance back at Sasha. "Are you going to tell the whole Clan about Tigerstar's kits?"

He shrugged. "I'm not, but I can't control what his _mate_ does." He spat the word venomously.

"What's up with you and your father lately?" The medicine cat scolded. Then she shook her head quickly. "You know what, spare me the sob story. But you think outing a secret as huge as this is going to get you justice?"

Brambleclaw frowned. "Not justice. I'm proving a point."

Leafpaw's eyes bulged.

Brambleclaw sighed. _When did Leafpaw become so confident?_ "He accuses me of making all these mistakes that either I couldn't help or I knew I was doing the right thing," he explained simply. "He acts like he's done no wrong. I'm _proving_ him wrong. Just once."

Leafpaw looked down at her paw, unsure. "I don't know, Brambleclaw. What about Mothpaw and Hawkpaw-"

"Why do you care what happens to them, anyway?" Brambleclaw interrupted. "Mothpaw's your friend, sure, but they're in a different Clan. And Tigerstar - what's he ever done for you?"

Leafpaw looked doubtful, but consideration also flickered in her pale gaze. Brambleclaw nodded sharply before passing her, ushering Sasha through the camp barrier.

He hid her pelt between himself and Leafpaw the best he could. Fortunately, it looked as if Cloudtail and Brightheart were explaining what happened in the center of camp. Tigerstar had yet to emerge. Brambleclaw saw his chance.

"His den is right here," he told Sasha before ducking to enter. He cleared his throat to awaken the leader only to bump shoulders with him upon entry.

Tigerstar's Amber gaze was frowning. "What's going on out there?" He queried in a rumble. Brambleclaw stepped aside.

"The cats taken by Twolegs managed to escape, minus Graystripe. But someone else came back to make up for it."

Before Tigerstar could question him, Brambleclaw shoved Sasha towards him. The tan she-cat scrambled to a halt in front of Tigerstar and smiled.

It looked as if Tigerstar's entire world had stopped spinning. He stared at Sasha in complete shock.

"What are you doing here?" He exclaimed, voice breaking in joy. "I thought you -" he glanced around to make sure no one else was listening and his ears flattened. Sasha purred.

"They know, Tigerstar," she explained. Tigerstar's head jerked up and he looked from Brambleclaw to Leafpaw in horror.

"We know more than you do," Leafpaw added, unintentionally sounding dramatically ominous.

"Yeah, this one came back to ThunderClan territory because she wanted to tell you something," Brambleclaw pitched in helpfully. "Sasha?"

"Tigerstar," she breathed, glancing over her shoulder. "I should have told you this the night I left you, but you have kits."

Tigerstar's ears flipped up like he hadn't heard correctly. It took the words a minute to register.

"What?" He whispered.

Sasha nodded. "You might know them - Hawkpaw and Mothpaw. They live in RiverClan."

Tigerstar took a step back, and Brambleclaw stared at him as a sort of challenge.

"No, they…" He trailed off. But it looked as if he understood completely. His gaze flickered back up to Sasha. "Ours?"

"Yes, Tigerstar," she murmured, nodding. "I wanted to tell you. I've been keeping this a secret for so long."

"How many others know?" Tigerstar breathed, still looking overwhelmed. Sasha glanced up quickly in thought.

"These two, Mothpaw and Hawkpaw, of course, and Leopardstar. She promised to raise them in RiverClan like her own," she recalled. "She did a wonderful job. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Tigerstar nodded, thoughts elsewhere.

"Well, I'll leave you with that," Sasha said curtly. Something - a distant love, a memory - had faded from her eyes, and now she was no more than a loner stopping by to chat. "I'm going to talk to our kits now."

"You're leaving me again?" Tigerstar whispered, voice uncharacteristically soft. Sasha nodded sharply.

"I made the right choice, minus telling you about the kits," Sasha replied firmly, stepping away from him. "And minus giving you a proper goodbye."

Tigerstar's gaze hardened.

"Fine then," he meowed. "This stays between the four of us, understood?" He said with a warning glare at Leafpaw and Brambleclaw. Leafpaw nodded importantly, and Brambleclaw gave a half-assed shrug that Tigerstar didn't seem to notice.

"I'm going to RiverClan, now. I need to talk with them," Sasha murmured. She reached up to touch her nose to Tigerstar's, just once, before she stepped back. Brambleclaw, Leafpaw, and Tigerstar watched her slow departure until she was gone.

Brambleclaw looked back at Tigerstar.

"You broke the code?" He whispered, pretending to be absolutely shocked and mortified. Tigerstar's lip curled into a snarl instinctively.

"Like you haven't," he snapped, sounding kit-like.

"I went on a seven day walk," Brambleclaw corrected.

"You caused Whitestorm's death!" Tigerstar roared. Brambleclaw flinched at his tone. Cats were beginning to turn their heads, and Brambleclaw was screaming internally at them to stop. Before another word could be spoken, Brambleclaw turned and fled, embarrassment tingling his paws as he left camp without looking back.

He wasn't sure where he was going until he heard voices not far away.

"...And that's why I'm asking you to come with me. The forest is dying. Surely, there's nowhere for you to go?"

Brambleclaw peeked between the reeds curiously at Sasha's voice. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the broad shoulders of Hawkpaw and the golden fur of Mothpaw. He stepped back to make sure he hadn't crossed the border when he saw Hawkpaw's large head shake.

"Mom, you know we can't do that. We love it here," he meowed with a glance at Mothpaw, who nodded vigorously.

"I feel like I actually belong," Mothpaw muttered.

"And besides, I have to lead the Clans to our new home!" Hawkpaw reminded her. "I can't abandon RiverClan. They're home."

Sasha looked crestfallen, but Mothpaw rushed up and pushed her head under her chin comfortingly.

"We won't forget you," she vowed softly. "But we're Clan cats, Mom. Don't forget about Hawkpaw's dream."

Sasha nodded sadly an stepped back. "Then goodbye, Hawkpaw, Mothpaw. I love you, always."

Brambleclaw watched them exchange a heartfelt goodbye until Sasha was gone once more. By the time she was well in the distance, Hawkpaw's voice startled him.

"You can come out now, Brambleclaw. Don't worry, Sasha and Mothpaw are gone."

Embarrassed and shocked, Brambleclaw slowly crept out of the reeds.

"How'd you know?" She asked bashfully. Hawkpaw smirked.

"You rustle way too much. ThunderClan thing, I guess."

Brambleclaw blinked at him and meowed without thinking, "well, you're half ThunderClan, so where's your room to talk?"

Hawkpaw snorted as he realized the joke, but his expression fell. "Sasha told you too, huh? She said she told Tigerstar. How much of ThunderClan knows?"

"Me and Leafpaw, but Mothpaw told her before," Brambleclaw said with a shrug. "That was really noble of you, to turn down your mother like that."

Hawkpaw nodded grimly. "Clan comes first, always," he recited. "I love her, but I can't leave RiverClan. Not after they've become my family. They welcomed me so well."

Brambleclaw couldn't help a prickle of envy at that remark. _My full-blood Clan doesn't even accept me_ , he thought. As he stared at Hawkpaw with the reminder that this was his half brother, his kin, it didn't much shock him. Hawkpaw's wide shoulders and dark stripes were shockingly similar to their father's.

"So you knew this whole time?" Brambleclaw blurted. "That we were brothers?"

Hawkpaw nodded. "I looked up to you, Brambleclaw. On that journey. I still do. One day, I hope I make Tigerstar as proud as you make him."

Brambleclaw forced a chuckle.

 _You're not going to be doing much, then._

* * *

 **soooo yeah I wrote this last minute and it's mostly Brambleclaw whining and being a little bit of a bitch. I'm sorry I disappeared but this story is dragging on forever my god. Do y'all still read this? Just wondering.**


	17. Chapter 15

**It's been over a year, hasn't it? To be honest I'm not sure what inspired me to add to this story but I ended up reallly enjoying this chapter, I think having half the POV go to Hawkfrost was a nice breather!**  
 **What happened was basically I lost interest, but it happens and I UPDATED OMG! Honestly I think the characterization is okay, for not looking at it for 1.5 years. but some might be off. cause you know, time.**

**UniversalParanoia: :)**

 **Guest: This was a really sweet review, I can't say it motivated me right at that moment but without it, I definitely would have never written this chapter.**

 **LaurenRiverSister: more you shall see!**

 **sad** **gurl: do not fear!**

 **MoongooseVox: man I missed you and your reviews. I hope you're still reading this. words can never describe how much you motivated me these past... two years? holy hell Dusk came out 2.5 years ago**

 **Snowcrystal of thunderclan: right... he's so rude**

 **WyldClaw: thank you :)**

 **And the show goes on! I hope the motif/update made someone happy, lol**

* * *

 _"Hawkfrost! Mothwing! Hawkfrost! Mothwing!"_

 **Hawkfrost** raised his head as his name was echoed through RiverClan - or what remained of it. Though the cheers were wary, Leopardstar's golden gaze glowed in pride and Reedwhisker, his close friend, grinned at him. Mothwing's head was lowered at the attention, but she was still smiling sheepishly.

As the crowd dispersed, Hawkfrost nudged his sister with her flank.

"Half a moon early!" he exclaimed. "Pretty cool!"

The corners of Mothwing's mouth hinted at another shy grin. "Yeah, only 'cause the Moonstone's gone though."

"I'm still proud of you," Hawkfrost reassured her, licking her ear as a few cats walked past and muttered congratulations. "And Mudfur took my suggestion, I see. When I found that moth's wing by the river yesterday, I thought it would be a great name."

Mothwing shoved him with her fluffy front leg. "You can stop doting now."

Hawkfrost forced a laugh that ended with a pang in his chest.

 _If I'm not proud of you, who will be?_

RiverClan had always been welcoming, but it was clear from the beginning that Hawkfrost and Mothwing were rogues. Their mother Sasha had left them there in hopes of fulfilling their Clan desires, after their father Tigerstar.

But neither parent had a role in the kits' lives. Leopardstar was more of a mother than the both of them.

Only a few hours later, RiverClan was leaving.

ThunderClan took up the front, naturally. As Hawkfrost peered up the hill, with the mountains tainting the afternoon sky a deep gray, he could see the piercing amber eyes of his father glow evenly over ThunderClan. Beside him was Tallstar. Even though the leader's head was down, he still stood remarkably close to Tigerstar's height.

"RiverClan is here," Leoaprdstar rasped, passing Hawkfrost as she made her way to the other leaders. Tigerstar's whiskers twitch.

"So I see." His tone softened. "Was anyone left behind?"

Leopardstar's eyes clouded over as she nodded. "Shadepelt and Loudbelly. They're going to meet up with the other ThunderClan elders. We didn't have time to escort them."

The other leaders muttered their condolences.

"We hardly have enough time to catch our breaths, now," Tallstar meowed. "It's understandable."

Tigerstar took a quick gander over the RiverClan cats. He sought out Mothwing, who quickly looked down at her paws and shuffled towards Leafpaw. Hawkfrost's whiskers drooped. _She feels bad about turning down Sasha._

Then Tigerstar's gaze met Hawkfrost's. Hawkfrost gave a stuff nod whilst puffing his chest, and to his joy, Tigerstar returned it before resuming chatting with Tallstar and Leopardstar. Hawkfrost tuned out their conversation with excitement and craned his neck to see if he could catch a flash of light amber eyes. Fortunately, he did, and Brambleclaw turned around and gave him a quick nod of greeting. Hawkfrost bounced lightly on his toes. _I can't wait to tell him about my new name!_

But before he could make his way over to his brother, Reedwhisker nudged his side and flicked his long black tail towards the bottom of the hill.

ShadowClan was last to arrive, with a dilute tortoiseshell leading them in determination. Blackstar was behind her, then Russetfur, and the remainder of the Clan slinking along the hillside.

Tigerstar gave Tawnypelt a brief nod when she approached.

"Hello," he greeted awkwardly. Tawnypelt merely dipped her head and brushed past him. Hawkfrost saw Tigerstar stifle a sigh and rose to his paws as the leaders greeted Blackstar.

Hawkfrost bid farewell to Reedwhisker when he saw the other journeying cats weave through the others to the front. Excitement tingled in his paws. _I get to lead all four Clans to our new home!_ He shot another grin at Brambleclaw, who was padding beside Squirrelpaw, and politely said hello to Tawnypelt and Crowpaw, who had gotten there first and was flicking his tail impatiently.

The murmuring simmered down as the cats braced themselves. Tigerstar's chin rose as he scanned the chosen cats.

"Are we ready to leave?" he asked, sweeping his cold gaze around all the Clans.

Brambleclaw met his gaze with a hardened glare that surprised Hawkfrost.

"We're ready. Let's go."

The five journeying cats turned around, and the Clans followed.

To Hawkfrost's surprise, Brambleclaw fell in line beside him.

"I think someone has an announcement to make," his half-brother exclaimed, shoving Squirrelpaw lightly with his side. The ginger she-cat bounced back but her emerald eyes rounded when she understood what he was talking about.

"I earned my warrior name!" she boasted, smirking with her fluffy tail kinked over her back.

A pause.

"Are you gonna tell us what it is?" Tawnypelt asked dryly.

"Oh! Squirrelflight," she explained, licking her ruffled chest in embarrassment.

Warm laughter echoed from the other four.

"Congrats, Squirrelflight," Hawkfrost meowed. "I earned mine today as well. You can call me Hawkfrost!"

More gentle congratulations.

"Like, for your eyes?" Squirrelflight asked, eyes rounding as she skipped ahead to stare right into Hawkfrost's. " _Cool!_ Haha, get it-"

"I think it's a great name," Brambleclaw praised, while Crowpaw simultaneously batted Squirrelflight's ear in retaliation to her bad pun.

"You think so?" Hawkfrost meowed. Lowering his voice to Brambleclaw, he added, "do you think Tigerstar will be impressed if I tell him?"

Brambleclaw gave him a funny look and veered the two of them out of earshot of the others. "I mean, look, everyone gets warrior names. It's a good name, but why are you so bothered by impressing him? There's more important things."

Hawkfrost flattened his ears. "Well, he and Mothwing are the last family I have. I want what you have with him."

"First of all, as your half-brother, I'm hurt," Brambleclaw joked, and Hawkfrost rambled to apologize at his mistake. "Second of all, I don't think you really know my relationship with Tigerstar. He's noble, sure, but…" Brambleclaw risked a forlorn glance over his shoulder at his father. "Sometimes I wonder if that's all he thinks about. Revenge, pride, ambition, some hypocrisy… he's a great leader. I wonder if it hinders him from being a great father."

Hawkfrost nodded understandingly. "I get it. I'd still like to cut this tension. I've known about my parentage since I was a kit. Sasha hurt over that tom every day. If I could get some closure - any approval, really - it would have all of us rest a little easier."

"Hey, can't argue with that," Brambleclaw said with a shrug. "In the meantime, we have four Clans to lead home."

Hawkfrost twitched his whiskers mischievously. "You're a lot more laid back than usual. Any particular reason?"

Brambleclaw shrugged again. "It's nice spending time with my family that doesn't blame me for the forest being ripped apart."

Hawkfrost grinned.

* * *

 **Leafpaw** trudged alongside Snowfoot, who merrily trod along. She couldn't share his enthusiasm. Coming back home had been a relief, for sure, and seeing Cinderpelt and Squirrelflight and her mother had been overwhelmingly good. But everything had gone downhill so fast that it was impossible to keep up.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that she had sped up.

"Oof!"

Leafpaw sprung back as her chest slammed into someone else's back. She recognized Crowpaw as he sprung around, face screwed up in rage.

"Watch where you're going!" he spat, fur on end. "You could have-"

Upon seeing Leafpaw duck back, he trailed off tipped his head to the side.

"Hey, you're Squirrelflight's sister, aren't you?"

Leafpaw nodded. "Leafpaw. And you're…"

"Crowpaw." He dipped his head as Leafpaw recognized the name.

"The WindClan cat I saw the night I aided Squirrelflight," she murmured. "You yelled at me, I think."

Crowpaw chuckled nervously. "Sounds like me. But, you know… that was before all this. Mess," he added, waving his tail vaguely. He fell in line beside Leafpaw, and she could see Snowfoot frown at her from somewhere behind Crowpaw.

"Yeah. A lot's changed," Leafpaw murmured, glancing up at the sky and unsure why Crowpaw wanted to talk to her. There was a pause, Crowpaw's mouth slightly open, as he considered his next words.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," he murmured. "That day, and just now."

Leafpaw was humbled by his apology but didn't show it. "That's okay," she meowed.

Crowpaw shook his head. "No, it's not." He gave her a look of consideration. "You don't have to say it's okay if someone hurts you."

Leafpaw smiled. "That's a good point. When did you get so mature?"

"Well, not as mature as the others. I'm still an apprentice," he added stiffly, aware of how comfortable he was getting and shrinking back into his shell. Leafpaw purred.

"You weren't chosen for your age, then," she decided. Crowpaw laughed lightly.

"I'm flattered. I've just been doing some reconsideration lately," he explained, staring at his frost paws as he walked. "Over the journey, I let my guard down a lot with Feathertail. She helped me open up with her, and we became really good friends. And then…"

Leafpaw nodded in understanding. She had heard the news of Feathertail's demise when she returned, and her stomach had dropped. The full weight still hadn't hit her.

"Her niceness went a long way," Crowpaw went on, straightening his shoulders. "And this is nice, right? Is this weird?"

"That you're not yelling at me?" Leafpaw asked cheekily. Crowpaw snorted. "Yes. But is it nice? Of course. You've learned a lot. Journeys aren't just physical, Crowpaw. Often times, you come out wiser than you left."

Crowpaw nodded thoughtfully.

"You're really smart," he meowed, and Leafpaw smiled.

"Well, I am a medicine cat."

"Okay, no need to rub it in."

Leafpaw laughed.

"Squirrelflight told me you two fought on the journey. Is that gonna play into your enlightenment?"

Crowpaw flushed. "Eventually. Though I don't think she'll take my apology until we're elders!"

"You might be right on that one."

"Yeah, maybe."

Their laughter faded out until it was silence. Then they both spoke at the same time.

"So-"

"You go first."

"Sorry, go ahead."

Crowpaw took in a deep breath.

"I feel like I'm throwing a lot at you, for someone I don't know."

"You are." Leafpaw smiled again. "But that journey helped you grow through tragedy, and this one that we all take together now will change us, too. All of us." She gestured her tail at the other Clans. They had reached Highstones now, where the cool mountain air began to nip at her ears.

Crowpaw paused for a moment, letting the wind pick up his fur as he took in a breath and exhaled. Leafpaw could almost feel the palpable reminders of Feathertail like birds on her shoulders. Then his blue gaze met Leafpaw's, and she realized she had never noticed the brilliance of his eyes before.

"That's a beautiful way of thinking," he breathed. As he spoke, a feather drifted down from a hawk circling overhead and spun gracefully down to the traveling cats.

"Must think of us as fresh-kill," Crowpaw muttered at the looming bird, who circled above the Clan cats in a death formation.

"Or she's giving you a sign that she's watching you," Leafpaw murmured as the feather landed on Crowpaw's nose. He smiled at the connection to Feathertail, and gently blew it away.

Together they watched over their shoulders as the feather spiraled over the Clans until it caught in a gust of wind, and disappeared on the opposite horizon.

* * *

 **So not a long chapter, definitely filler, cause man we need to get this journey over with!**

 **Hawkfrost's POV wasn't planned! It was just gonna be Leafpaw but I was like naw if I'm gonna really finish this chapter let's be real we need a change of scenery. And I LOVED writing him! an't guarantee he'll come back though... maybe.**

 **Crowpaw's characterization is very different from canon. A lot of people don't like his real personality, a lot of people do, a lot don't care, but what we can all agree on is that Leafcrow had a rushed relationship from hatred to looooove like *that*. I wanted to avoid that (hence why they start of oh eh terms, and go to friends from there), and keep in mind he's had multiple days since Feathertail died to really reflect on who he is as a person (cat?). In this series he matures into an actual adult, with some dry humor, of course, but it makes his relationship with Leafpool seem more _real_. You're meant to enjoy the relationship here, as you were in canon, where it ultimately fell flat. So he's much nicer because newsflash: he learns from his mistakes. He grows up. And that's what this series is about, isn't it? For better or for worse. **

**I cannot say when this will be updated, but my fingers are crossed. Losing inspo sucks, because I hate to let you all down. I hope some of you are still out there, because I may forget to fix typos or inconsistencies but I never forget who comments every single chapter.**

 **Love always,**

 **Quinn**


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